The locker room was in 'chaos' over a naturalized player; the Indonesian U.23 boss made a surprising statement.

According to Bola Times , everything started after the Indonesian U23 team (SEA Games 32 champions) unexpectedly lost 0-1 to the Philippines U23 team in their opening match (December 8). Even more noteworthy, in this match, coach Indra Sjafri fielded a number of naturalized players such as Rafael Struick, Jens Raven, Mauro Zijlstra, Dion Markx, and Ivar Jenner. The disappointing result left the Indonesian U23 team in second place in Group C (no points, with a goal difference of -1), facing the risk of elimination.

An Indonesian news outlet described the incident: “The Indonesian U23 national team players were extremely disappointed after unexpectedly losing to the Philippines U23 national team at the 33rd SEA Games. Our reporters even captured the moment Ivar Jenner became enraged by the result. The Indonesian U23 captain even smashed a water bottle on his way to the locker room. Once inside, Ivar Jenner continued to show his anger despite the presence of the coaching staff.”

Besides Ivar Jenner, Dion Markx and Jens Raven also expressed extreme disappointment at the defeat. Dion Markx was even spotted sitting in a corner outside the Indonesian U23 team's locker room. However, upon seeing the cameras, Dion Markx asked us not to record the incident. Everything at the Indonesian U23 team is in chaos right now.”

Phòng thay đồ 'rối loạn' vì sao nhập tịch, sếp lớn U.23 Indonesia nói điều bất ngờ- Ảnh 1. — Ivar Jenner lost his temper after the loss to the Philippines U23 team. Entering the locker room, the Indonesian U23 captain was still visibly angry.

To clarify the current situation of the Indonesian U23 team, on the afternoon of December 10th, Bola Times conducted an exclusive interview with team leader Sumardji. Mr. Sumardji confirmed that Bola Times ' descriptions were accurate and that the Indonesian U23 team is currently facing many difficulties.

“It wasn't just Ivar Jenner, but everyone was angry about losing to the Philippines. But perhaps Ivar Jenner understood he was the captain, so he reacted a bit more strongly. Overall, everyone in the locker room was shocked by the result; it was beyond our expectations. Personally, I was also somewhat disappointed because I didn't think the Indonesian U23 team could lose to the Philippine U23 team,” Sumardji explained.

U.23 Indonesia will still fight their hardest regardless of the result of the U.23 Vietnam vs. U.23 Malaysia match.

In their final match, U23 Indonesia will face U23 Myanmar (December 12). However, even if they win, the efforts of the Indonesian youth team will be meaningless if the match between U23 Vietnam and Malaysia in Group B (December 11) ends in a draw. In that case, U23 Indonesia would only have 3 points, failing to qualify for the semi-finals as the best-performing second-placed team. It should also be noted that in this group, U23 Philippines secured their place in the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33 as group winners with 6 points (winning against U23 Myanmar 2-0 and U23 Indonesia 1-0).

Phòng thay đồ 'rối loạn' vì sao nhập tịch, sếp lớn U.23 Indonesia nói điều bất ngờ- Ảnh 2. — Jens Raven also expressed his anger at Indonesia's U23 team losing their opening match.

Facing a difficult situation, Sumardji shared: “What we have done is to restore the team's morale to a normal state . We hope there will be no more feelings of disappointment among the Indonesian U23 players before the match against Myanmar U23 takes place.”

"I am very grateful for the criticism and contributions from Indonesian fans. However, the journey of the Indonesian U23 team at the SEA Games 33 is not over yet because we still have one match ahead. Regardless of the result of the match between Vietnam U23 and Malaysia U23, I am certain that the Indonesian U23 team will fight with all their might and dedicate themselves to the country," Sumardji concluded.