Indonesia U-16 to Uruguay

Football Association of Indonesia will send 25 players of Indonesia U-16 team to Uruguay as early as February 2008 to take part in local U-16 competition between March and November 2008. They will spend around four years in Uruguay as part of Association’s plan to build talented football players within the next four years. All selected players have passed the national selection round in December 2007 after they passed the city level selection round in November 2007.

Unfortunately, the Association forbid these players to take part in AFC U-16 round, next October 2008. Speakers of the association said that, the U-16 competition in Uruguay is still on going, and Indonesia players should focus on the competition, not the tournament. The association will select new U-16 team for the AFC U-16 tournament. Another strange thing is on the status of players when the program is completed. All clubs were forced to change status of their players as players of the association. This is strange, what if a foreign club wish to  hire Indonesian player? Where did the transfer money go to? To the association? This regulation also break FIFA regulation on status of a football player  where a player should belong to club not association. (*)

2011 AFC Cup Qualification

This is a shocking news for Indonesia team in the near future. AFC has announced new qualification system for Asian countries to participate in Asia Cup 2011. Three countries with highest achievement at previous AFC Cup (Iraq, Saudi, and South Korea) will be automatic qualifier with Qatar as host nation for Asia Cup 2011. Two tickets will be provided to winners of AFC Challenge Cup in 2008 and 2010. It is a tournament for 17 countries, considered as emerging football countries in Asia. So, there will be ten tickets left to be fought by 20 countries, including Indonesia, through qualification round.

Based on the latest AFC release, Indonesia is ranked 11 for the qualification round. However since the first three are automatic qualifiers, Indonesia is ranked eighth for the qualification round.

Indonesia vs Dortmund: Farewell Match for Kurniawan?

Coach of Indonesia national team for the match against Borrusia Dortmund, Benny Dolo (also known as Bendol), called Kurniawan Dwi Julianto on Wednesday exhibition match (19/12) against Borrusia Dortmund. This 31 years old skillful attacker is considered return alive again by Bendol after significant performances with Persitara Jakarta Utara in Indonesia League. He has scored 10 goals for Persitara this season. He is just 3 goals behind Boaz Solosa and Bambang Pamungkas, and 2 goals behind Aliyudin, local top goalscorers in Indonesia League.

Kurniawan is delighted with the opportunity to face Dortmund. He said that it might be a good way to say goodbye to his fans in the national team. His last performance with the national team was in 2004 during Tiger Cup. The performance of this first Indonesian player signed by European club was considered fluctuating by many people. However, he has successfully proven that Kurniawan is always there when needed. He scored 2 important goals in Tiger Cup 2004 although the national team failed to win the trophy.

Will this be the farewell match for the player with 60 caps?

Thank You Mr. Kolev

It was a sunny summer in China when you led twenty two Indonesian players for Asia Cup 2004. After two non-successful appearances in 1996 and 2000, you gave the first victory match for Indonesia in Asia Cup tournament by defeating Qatar 2-1. Phillipe Trousier was fired by the Qatar Football Association after the game. It was a phenomenal moment for us. Unfortunately, the Association did not extend your contract. You left our country and headed for Myanmar after the tournament with a good heritage of how to play modern collective football game. Myanmar was lucky to have a coach like you. You built their national team into a strong football team just within three years time.

Mr. Kolev, suddenly our association contracted you once again as coach of Indonesia team after series of defeat in region tournaments and 2006 world cup qualifying series. Your first job was to build strong team for Asia Cup 2007 in Jakarta, while the primary target was to win gold medal in SEA Games 2007. You introduced us modern rapid attacking gameplay in a 4-3-3 strategy. You astonished us in the stadium during Asia Cup 2007 when we beat Bahrain 2-1. Unfortunately we lost 1-2 against Saudi and 0-1 against South Korea. Well, Mr. Kolev, you may got credit for building a good team in less than a year but a defeat means a defeat. It is that simple.

Dubious U-23 Team

It seemed like no more than six months a go when the Indonesia U-23 held a draw match against Argentine U-20 (0-0) in Argentina, when suddenly the team was crushed by Syria in 2nd leg World Cup Qualifying Round in Damascus (7-0). It was also less than six months a go when Indonesia Team defeat Bahrain in 2007 Asia Cup in Jakarta (2-1), when the team was crushed by Syria in 1st leg of World Cup Qualifying Round in Jakarta (4-1). The final score (1-11) was a shock for the fans of Indonesia team and also a clear warning for Ivan Kolev that the quality of the team (U-23 and senior team) is decreasing fast in such a short time.

Within a month from now, the U-23 Indonesia team will take part in SEA Games Thailand. The last two friendly matches against Polis Diraja Malaysia (a club in Malaysia League) and Malaysia U-23 describe the clear weariness of the quality of the team. Indonesia U-23 won 3-1 through penalty shoot out against Polis Diraja Malaysia and draw 1-1 against Malaysia U-23. This is certainly wearies coach Ivan Kolev since the target for SEA Games competition is Gold Medal (victory). Malaysia is known as the team with poor defensive players in the region (South East Asia). If Indonesia U-23 team only played draw in friendly match against Malaysia U-23, how the final result of this team is going to be in the SEA Games? Hopefully coach Ivan Kolev improves the quality of the team within a month. As I have written before… ‘4-3-3? Are you sure Mr. Kolev?’