Indonesian team coach worries about losing SEA Games 33 men's football gold medal to U.23 Vietnam

According to coach Indra Sjafri of U.23 Indonesia, defending the men's football gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games is very difficult, requiring the strongest force to compete with host Thailand and number 1 candidate U.23 Vietnam.

U.23 Vietnam has gathered top forces, what about U.23 Indonesia?

Coach Indra Sjafri said: "I support the idea of ​​the President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), Erick Thohir, that we (the Indonesian U.23 team) will be able to use the best players at the 33rd SEA Games to defend the gold medal won in 2023.

But this is not easy, because the SEA Games are not on the FIFA Days schedule. The PSSI President is certainly trying to lobby so that the best players playing in foreign clubs can return to compete at the SEA Games, and we, the coaching staff, can only wait and hope that it will be successful."

Indonesia puts all its efforts into preparing the U.23 team (in white shirts) to compete with U.23 Vietnam to defend the gold medal in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Mr. Indra Sjafri also acknowledged that at the 33rd SEA Games, the competition for the gold medal in men's football will certainly revolve around the 3 strongest teams in the region today, namely U.23 Thailand (host) and the U.23 Vietnam team, which is worthy of being the number 1 candidate, led by coach Kim Sang-sik, who has summoned the top force. And of course, U.23 Indonesia, the team that won the gold medal for the first time after 32 long years of waiting in Cambodia in 2023, led by coach Indra Sjafri himself.

"The opponents are all very strong and have gathered a strong force to compete, while we continue to wait for PSSI's efforts regarding the players (playing abroad) who still meet the requirements of the regulations for the 33rd SEA Games, including Marselino Ferdinan, Adrian Wibowo and some other players. Whether they will be allowed by their clubs to return to play for the U.23 Indonesia team or not is still unclear," coach Indra Sjafri said at a press conference before the friendly match between U.23 Indonesia and U.23 Mali at 8:00 p.m. on November 15 in Bogor City (Indonesia).

Marselino Ferdinan and Adrian Wibowo are both top players in Indonesian football today, both of whom have played for the national team many times in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Marselino Ferdinan (21 years old, currently playing for AS Trencin Club in Slovakia), while Adrian Wibowo (19 years old, currently playing for Los Angeles FC in the MLS, USA).

Marselino Ferdinan (7) is the brightest star of Indonesian football today. He attended the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023.

Photo: Ngoc Duong

The addition of these two excellent players (already registered in the preliminary list of 50 players) will certainly significantly increase the strength of the U.23 Indonesia team. Currently, the U.23 Indonesia team has a number of naturalized players of Dutch origin such as Mauro Zijlstra along with Jens Raven, Rafael Struick, Ivar Jenner and Dion Markx.

In addition, there are excellent local players including Muhammad Ferarri, Kadek Arel, Dony Tri Pamungkas, Arkhan Fikri, Hokky Caraka and Ricky Pratama. In addition, coach Indra Sjafri will also call up excellent central defender Justin Hubner, who is currently playing for Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch National Championship.

However, coach Indra Sjafri's hopes of having the strongest squad for U.23 Indonesia to attend the 33rd SEA Games to defend the gold medal in men's football against the competition of U.23 Vietnam and the host team Thailand, still have to wait for the efforts and arrangements of the PSSI President with foreign clubs. This is not easy at all, according to CNN Indonesia.

What is the schedule for men's football at SEA Games 33?

At the 33rd SEA Games, U.23 Indonesia is in Group C with U.23 Myanmar, Philippines and Singapore. According to the latest schedule, the U.23 Indonesia team will play group stage matches in Chiang Mai City. Including the opening match against U.23 Singapore on December 5, against U.23 Philippines on December 8 and against U.23 Myanmar on December 12, all at the 700th Anniversary Stadium.

Meanwhile, in Group A, the host team U.23 Thailand, along with Cambodia and Timor Leste, will play at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. U.23 Thailand will play U.23 Timor Leste on December 3, and U.23 Cambodia on December 11. Interspersed is the match between U.23 Cambodia and U.23 Timor Leste on December 6.

The U.23 Vietnam team is in Group B with the U.23 Malaysia team and the Laos team. The latest schedule shows that the U.23 Vietnam team will play all group stage matches at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla Province, including the opening match against U.23 Laos at 6:30 p.m. on December 4, and the match against U.23 Malaysia at the same time on December 11. Interspersed is the match between U.23 Malaysia and U.23 Laos also at the same time on December 7.

The 33rd SEA Games men's football competition will take place from December 3 to 18. In the group stage, teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top three teams in each group and the second-placed team with the best record advancing to the semi-finals (playing on December 15). Then, there will be matches for the gold and bronze medals (both on December 18), both taking place at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-doi-indonesia-lo-mat-hcv-bong-da-nam-sea-games-33-ve-tay-u23-viet-nam-185251115095514802.htm