‘Young Garuda’ Victory an Oasis
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Hopes are high that the “Young Garuda” squad’s victory against Thailand in the final of the 2019 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-22 Youth Championship will revive the national soccer scene, currently being purified from the disease of match fixing.
Indonesia’s national U-22 soccer team exceeded all expectations by defeating Thailand 2-1 and winning the 2019 AFF U-22 Championship on Tuesday evening (2/26/2019) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Young Garudas’ victory was like an oasis amid the chaos that has struck Indonesia’s soccer scene in recent months.
The U-22 title was Indonesia’s third across all AFF age groups in its history. Indonesia has also clinched AFF titles in the U-19 (2013) and the U-16 championships (2018).
The U-22 Championship title was different in that it was won abroad and without the drama of a penalty shootout. Understandably, praise was heaped upon coach Indra Sjafri and his team. This was the second title for Indra’s team in Southeast Asia after clinching the AFF U-19 title in 2013 in Sidoarjo, East Java.
“The title is an oasis amid all the chaos in Indonesian soccer today from the match-fixing issue. [The team] was able to perform under difficult conditions. This raises new hope,” Ignatius Indro, the head of the Indonesian National Team Supporters Association, said in Jakarta.
As the Young Garudas made their way through the AFF championship in Cambodia over the last two weeks, Indonesia’s soccer scene was shaken to its core by the findings of the National Police’s Match-Fixing Task Force. The police named as suspects 16 high-ranking soccer officials, including Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) chair Joko Driyono, in their investigation into several allegations of fraud in national soccer competitions.
The national soccer scene is currently at its lowest point following evidence of fraud in Liga 2 and Liga 3. The police are also investigating potential fraud in the country’s premier soccer league, Liga 1. The cases are highly alarming, as they involve referees and members of the PSSI Executive Committee and PSSI Disciplinary Committee in match-fixing schemes.
The scandal has prompted talk among global soccer fans about Indonesian soccer – albeit negatively. Australian network ABC called Indonesian soccer a “wild world” in its article on Sunday (24/2), titled “Deadly rivalries, rioting fans and corruption”.
Former Indonesian striker Indriyanto Nugroho, an alumnus of the PSSI’s Primavera Italia program, said that the Young Garuda’s victory in Cambodia was similar to Italy’s victory in the 2006 World Cup in
Germany. The team was not a favorite, but under coach Marcello Lippi, it defeated France’s all-star team in the final and won the cup.
Player’s mentality
Similar to the situation in Indonesian soccer today, Italy was shaken in 2006 by match-fixing and bribery scandals, called Calciopoli in Italian. Top teams including Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio were punished by point reduction and degradation. Notable figures, including former Juventus director Antonio Giraudo and former referee Paolo Dondarini, received prison sentences, although Giraudo’s sentence was later rescinded in 2015.
“That made our team more united and solid. In principle, we have players with fantastic [mentality],” said Lippi in 2015, as quoted by Football Italia.
The Young Garuda squad showed a similar mentality, especially in the final of the AFF U-22 championship played at the Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium. They were united in both defense and offense, and refused to bow down after Thai striker Saringkan Promsupa scored the first goal at the 57th minute. The Young Garudas turned the tables in only 7 minutes with goals from Sani Rizki Fauzi and Osvaldo Haay.
According to Haay, his decisive goal was the result of teamwork and not an individual achievement. “This was the fruit of all our hard work. God answered our prayers. We can stand on our own feet if we want to,” Indra said after the match as quoted on the PSSI website.
Watershed moment
PSSI secretary-general Ratu Tisha said the national U-22 team’s original target was to win at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines and to qualify for the 2020 U-23 Asia Cup in Thailand. The last time Indonesia won soccer gold at the SEA Games was in 1991, which the Philippines also hosted.
Indriyanto, who has experience playing on a national team, said he hoped the victory in Cambodia would be a milestone in reawakening Indonesian soccer and could inspire senior players under coach Simon McMenemy.
“The national U-22 team continues to grow, match by match. The championship title is great for Indonesia amid the difficult times,” said McMenemy.
Meanwhile, Ignatius Indro expressed hope that the victory would kickstart meaningful changes in the PSSI.
The national soccer association has planned a special congress to elect a new management after the 2019 election. “The association must change to make way for a clean and proper system and to ensure that the national team can continue to make achievements. Victories must not be incidental,” said Ignatius.
Among the awaited changes in Indonesian soccer is the PSSI’s commitment to training young players that show potential. Youth competitions are primarily managed by the private sector, like the Kompas Kacang Garuda U-14 League. Several players on the national U-22 team are graduates of the league, including M. Riyandi, Rafi Syarahil, M. Luthfi Kamal and Billy Keraf. (JON