U.23 Indonesia convinces 'big' star to attend SEA Games 33, Coach Kim Sang-sik must be cautious

U.23 Indonesia will be very strong at SEA Games 33

"Our discussions with Marselino Ferdinan's club have reached a very positive agreement," Mr. Sumardji, Head of the Indonesian team delegation, said on November 17 in Jakarta, and at the same time revealed that naturalized player Ivar Jenner has also been released by the club.

U.23 Indonesia thuyết phục ngôi sao ‘khủng’ dự SEA Games 33, HLV Kim Sang-sik phải dè chừng - Ảnh 1. — Marselino Ferdinan (7) is the brightest star of Indonesian football today. He attended the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023.

Mr. Sumarardji also confirmed that both players are eligible to compete in the 33rd SEA Games, because they were already on the list of the Indonesian U.23 team. This helped coach Indra Sjafri breathe a sigh of relief, as his team will almost certainly gather the best players to compete in the 33rd SEA Games to defend the gold medal in men's football as expected.

Marselino Ferdinan, 21 years old, is playing for AS Trencin Club in Slovakia on loan from Oxford United (England). Despite his young age, this player has played 40 times for the Indonesian national team and scored 5 goals. Among them, he scored a double to help the archipelago team defeat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.

Marselino Ferdinan is also a key factor helping U.23 Indonesia win the gold medal in men's football at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023.

Therefore, with the goal of protecting the achievements and also wishing to close a better 2025 after the shock of being eliminated in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) has tried to convince many excellent naturalized and native players to participate, in which they had to negotiate with many foreign clubs to release their players because the SEA Games is not on the FIFA Days schedule.

According to coach Indra Sjafri, at the 33rd SEA Games, the competition for the gold medal in men's football will be fierce and 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.

U.23 Indonesia is currently focusing on preparing for the 33rd SEA Games. They just lost to U.23 Mali with a score of 0-3 on November 15 and will have a rematch with this team on November 18. The U.23 Indonesia squad is still waiting for confirmation of the participation of player Adrian Wibowo (19 years old, currently playing for Los Angeles FC in the MLS, USA). In addition, there are naturalized stars such as Mauro Zijlstra...

At SEA Games 33, U.23 Indonesia is in Group C, competing 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 700th Anniversary Stadium.

Meanwhile, U.23 Thailand is in Group A playing at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, opening against U.23 Timor Leste on December 3; followed by U.23 Cambodia vs. U.23 Timor Leste on December 6; and the final match between U.23 Thailand vs. U.23 Cambodia on December 11. These group matches all take place at 7 p.m.

U.23 Vietnam is in Group B with U.23 Malaysia and U.23 Laos. According to the latest schedule, all matches in this group will take place at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla Province, including the opening match between U.23 Laos and U.23 Vietnam on December 4; U.23 Malaysia and U.23 Laos on December 7; and the final match between U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Malaysia on December 11. All matches will take place at 6:30 p.m.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-indonesia-thuyet-phuc-ngoi-sao-khung-du-sea-games-33-hlv-kim-sang-sik-phai-de-chung-185251118101148712.htm