The Indonesian team must concentrate fully before the match with the Chinese team.
This is the reason why some Indonesian fans expressed their dissatisfaction when they saw the players having fun comfortably while they were gathering in Bali, a tourist paradise, instead of practicing hard to prepare for the decisive match with the Chinese team at 8:45 p.m. on June 5, in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.
The Indonesian team lost 1-5 to the Australian team. They just regained hope when they beat Bahrain 1-0 on March 25.
Photo: Reuters
"Players are not robots. They need rest. They also have mental fatigue and boredom after a long season. The FIFA Days training schedule starts on June 2. However, we want them to have more time to practice and rest with their families, so we asked them to train more than a week in advance (from May 26).
Choosing Bali as the training center also has its reasons, as it is a tourist city and will also help players and their families have the opportunity to have fun together for a few days," PSSI President Erick Thohir explained.
The reason Mr. Erick Thohir had to speak up was because the scandalous incident occurred on May 30, when he organized a 55th birthday party and invited the entire Indonesian team to attend. Here, the players from the archipelago had a day of fun and partying.
CNN Indonesia reported that most of the key players of the Indonesian team, including naturalized players, coach Kluivert and his Dutch colleagues, were present. The incident would not have been worth mentioning, if it had not received unsatisfactory comments from a part of Indonesian fans on social media.
Many people believe that the team needs to have maximum concentration, because ahead is a crucial match for the chance to attend the 2026 World Cup. Moreover, they are also not satisfied because some Indonesian players have somewhat subjective words when underestimating the opponent, the Chinese team.
At Bung Karno Stadium, the Indonesian team caused a shock when they beat Saudi Arabia 2-0, drew Australia 0-0 and beat Bahrain 1-0.
Photo: Reuters
"Remember, the Indonesian team lost to the Chinese team 1-2 in the first leg. That was also the match that led to coach Shin Tae-yong being fired afterwards. Therefore, if we are too confident because of the recent result (winning 1-0 against Bahrain) and forget about the weaknesses that need to be overcome through training, the team may have to pay a very high price," an Indonesian netizen wrote.
However, PSSI President Erick Thohir disagreed. He said that the plan for Indonesian players to gather a week earlier to rest and then start official training from June 2 was reasonable. Thereby, he also rejected the negative criticism related to his birthday party and the party for the players.
"The Indonesian team has many players returning from Europe after a stressful season that just ended. They deserve a few days off with their families and also focus on the team. You can see, they were only with their families for the first 2-3 days, now they are all practicing.
They only rest when the team allows. Moreover, some players like Kevin Diks have just arrived to train, the domestic players have just finished the Liga 1 season. They need time to recover, they cannot practice right away," Mr. Erick Thohir emphasized.
The PSSI President also stated: "Both the federation and the national team are focused on the immediate goal of the match against the Chinese team. We must win all 3 points to continue to nurture the hope of competing for a ticket to the World Cup. Our focus is to enter the 4th qualifying round. Therefore, winning against the Chinese team is of utmost importance. If we lose, we will face many difficulties."
In Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, Indonesia is ranked 4th with 9 points, 1 point behind Saudi Arabia (3rd place) and 4 points behind Australia (2nd place). Japan, the top team with 20 points, has won a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams, Bahrain and China, both have 6 points.
In the upcoming competition, the Indonesian team will play two final matches against the Chinese team (home, at 8:45 p.m. on June 5) and the Japanese team (away, at 5:35 p.m. on June 10).
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-indonesia-tao-song-du-vi-tiec-sinh-nhat-sep-lon-pssi-phai-voi-va-giai-thich-185250531112542906.htm
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