Indonesian billionaire promises big reward for home team if they beat Vietnam

"If you have achievements, you will be rewarded. If you win against Vietnam and Japan, you will be rewarded with a big prize," said Erick Thohir, President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI). Giving a bonus to the home team is just a small matter for the billionaire from the archipelago - who once owned the famous European football team Inter Milan.

However, Mr. Thohir did not offer a specific bonus. According to CNN Indonesia, the head of the archipelago's football federation expressed his displeasure when reporters asked about the bonus for the home team. Billionaire Thohir did not want players to think about money before they even played.

Indonesia (red shirt) lost to Iraq in the opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup.

The former Inter Milan president said: "Don't talk backwards. There are no achievements yet but you keep talking about bonuses. This is unreasonable."

Mr. Thohir is also in Qatar to join coach Shin Tae-yong and the Indonesian players on their journey to the 2023 Asian Cup. In the opening match, the team lost 1-3 to Iraq and temporarily ranked bottom of the group. However, the performance of the archipelago team still had some positive points to help them maintain their belief in their ability to pass the group stage.

To achieve that goal, the Indonesian team must beat the Vietnamese team in the match tonight (January 19). Previously, in an interview on January 17, this billionaire highly appreciated the Vietnamese team and said that the Indonesian players need to learn the fighting spirit of coach Troussier and his team.

"The Vietnamese team had 7 important players injured and absent, but they still led Japan 2-1 at one point. We are not allowed to underestimate the Vietnamese team. Their strength is that when playing for the national team, the players always show a strong patriotic spirit.

I saw the Indonesian players fight with all their might in the recent loss to Iraq, but they need to try harder. If the Vietnamese team can do that, why can't we follow suit?", said Mr. Thohir.

Han Phong

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