U22 Indonesia still likely to be banned from participating in SEA Games 32

At the 32nd SEA Games, U22 Indonesia was in the same group with host Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines and Timor Leste. After the draw, the president of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), Mr. Erick Thohir, shared his thoughts to reassure the spirit of the U22 team.

“PSSI is still in regular contact with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). PSSI will make every effort to minimize the possibility of receiving additional sanctions from FIFA. We hope that U22 Indonesia can still appear at the 32nd SEA Games as planned to conquer the gold medal.

At the SEA Games, any opponent can cause difficulties. What we need to do now is focus on preparation and do our best to complete the mission,” Mr. Erick Thohir emphasized.

U22 Indonesia still likely to be banned from participating in SEA Games 32 - 1 — President of the Indonesian Football Federation - Erick Thohir.

After the U20 World Cup was stripped, the atmosphere between FIFA and PSSI was quite tense. The Indonesian press said that FIFA could impose additional sanctions because Indonesia had let political factors influence the organization. If that happens, Indonesian football will be absent from the 32nd SEA Games.

Despite the possibility of not being able to participate in the tournament, U22 Indonesia still carried out preparations very seriously. They summoned 43 players to select the 20 best names. Coach Indra Sjafri said: "We added some U20 players to the U22 team to prepare for the SEA Games. After the draw, I told the players that, no matter who the opponent is, we must focus, be alert and strive to achieve the best results."

Indonesian football is very eager to conquer the gold medal of the 32nd SEA Games. The last time they achieved this achievement was in 1991. In recent years, Indonesian football has not had any specific titles in major arenas. The best achievements of the teams of the archipelago are only runner-up of the 2020 AFF Cup (lost to the Thai team) and runner-up of the 2019 SEA Games (lost to U22 Vietnam).