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President Thohir defends U23 Indonesia for not using its strongest team |
After the 0-1 defeat to U23 Vietnam at home in the final match of the AFF U23 Cup 2025, President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) - Mr. Erick Thohir - expressed his regret, and affirmed that the young team of the archipelago had an encouraging performance, despite not possessing optimal force.
Mr. Thohir frankly admitted that U23 Indonesia entered the tournament with not the strongest squad, as many players were of age but did not participate, in addition to the injuries of two midfield pillars Arkhan Fikri and Toni Firmansyah - important factors in coach Gerald Vanenburg's tactical scheme.
“This is not the best squad. We lost two important players, but that cannot be an excuse. Football is not just 11 players. However, it cannot be denied that the absence of Arkhan and Toni makes our midfield unbalanced,” the PSSI President shared.
Before the final, this enthusiastic official had called on the team to take advantage of home field advantage to “pay back the debt” to U23 Vietnam and determined to keep the cup in Indonesia. He also sent a strong message: “Don’t let them trample on our home field”. However, that statement eventually had to give way to the harsh reality: U23 Vietnam was the team that lifted the championship trophy.
Not letting the sadness linger, Mr. Thohir affirmed that PSSI will quickly rebuild its forces and focus on a bigger goal: the 2026 AFC U23 qualifiers. Indonesia, specifically Sidoarjo (East Java), will be the host of a group - a significant advantage for coach Vanenburg and his team.
“We are focusing on building the squad for the qualifying round in Sidoarjo next September. At the same time, PSSI will work hard with the clubs to have the strongest force,” Mr. Thohir revealed.
The PSSI President also said that the current young players, with an average age of only 20.74, can absolutely become key candidates for the upcoming SEA Games. This view received consensus from the Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports .
It is known that in addition to his role as head of PSSI, Erick Thohir is also the Minister of State-owned Enterprises and has made a name for himself as the owner and chairman of Inter Milan and DC United. Since taking over at PSSI, Mr. Thohir has been famous for his strategy of naturalizing players and reforming Indonesian football, aiming to raise the level of the national teams.
Source: https://znews.vn/chu-tich-thohir-bao-chua-u23-indonesia-khong-dung-doi-manh-nhat-post1572668.html
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