Losing to Vietnam, U23 Indonesia still receives big reward

Indonesian leaders decided to award bonuses to encourage the players and coaching staff after the final match of the U23 Southeast Asian Championship on July 29.

U23 Indonesia only won second place. Photo: Ho Hai .

Indonesian Minister of Housing and Human Settlements Maruarar Sirait announced the awarding of prizes to each player and coach participating in the tournament. Specifically, each member of the Indonesian U23 team will receive 100 million rupiah (about 6,100 USD ), while the coaches will receive 300 million rupiah (more than 18,000 USD ).

"As President Prabowo Subianto always says, you guys work hard for the nation. My son Joshua and I have discussed this. Even though the national team has not achieved success, we still want to reward the team," Sirait said.

The minister said the bonus came entirely from his own personal resources. "I am very proud of what the team has achieved, and we will stand together. I will always support them," Sirait added.

This is the second time Indonesia has lost in the final of the U23 Southeast Asian Cup. The first time happened in 2023 when the "Garuda" youth team lost 5-6 in a penalty shootout, also against U23 Vietnam.

The president of the Indonesian Football Association, Erick Thohir, supported Sirait's actions. "He is part of PSSI, the president of the President's Cup. If there are philanthropists who love football, it is a good thing," Thohir said.

Mr. Thohir also said that PSSI will still award the Indonesian U23 team, but the amount was not disclosed.

U23 Vietnam 'dropped' coach Kim Sang-sik while carrying him to celebrate On the evening of July 29, coach Kim Sang-sik fell to the ground during an emotional moment of celebration with the U23 Vietnam players after the 1-0 victory over U23 Indonesia in the final of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

Source: https://znews.vn/thua-viet-nam-u23-indonesia-van-nhan-thuong-lon-post1572742.html