Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Trials & Tribulations Ahead Of AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers For Indonesia
You can rely on Indonesia to take something simple and complicate the crap out of it. Back in November we had the hilarious situation of a bunch of players, officials and coaches running round Brisbane masquerading as a national team, preparing to represent the country at the ASEAN Cup.
They played a Sunday school a couple of times!
Now we have a single national team set up that would have Issac Newton throwing the apple at a passer by. There is a Technical Director, Lionel Charbonier who does whatever a TD does in this country. We have a coach, Nil Maizar who was rather landed with the job when the current PSSI sacked the coach the previous PSSI had hired. And last week we had the news that the head of the PSSI had gone and appointed his own coach in consultation with the Argentine Embassy!
The Thais and the Singaporeans may think their FAs are a mess but even they must acknowledge they are mere amateurs in the presence of the Indonesian FA which shows unlimited creativity when it comes to muddying waters.
You can imagine a FIFA gobfest and PSSI saying to that Thai guy 'you have much to learn young Worawi'!
Anyway Indonesia will not qualify from their AFC Asian Cup Qualifying Group, I don't care what anyone says. The potential that we keep hearing about, usually from foreign observers struggling to be polite, has gone AWOL, probably with Newton's apple, and with Arsenal and Chelsea due to visit later this year we will be hearing the dreaded P word a few more times this year.
In fact, coming soon, I will write up Arsene Wenger's press conference just for the hell of it.
So the national team play Saudi Arabia next month in Indonesia and the PSSI are making noises about moving the game to either Surabaya or Yogyakarta. Their logic, stop laughing at the back, is they think rain may cause flooding in Jakarta.
Well, yes, it may. But of course it also rains in other cities in Indonesia, honest, so the argument applies to both alternatives put forward. As ever we must read between the lines. The new PSSI mob have really proved to be that popular in Jakarta; The IPL Persija spent last season playing in Madiun which is bloody miles away, it rains there as well, and recent friendlies have seen crowds smaller than a Doctor Who Convention in the Falklands.
With the cost of renting the Bung Karno and the serious risk of fan apathy perhaps they are looking for the best way out and a stadium with some fans in it?
Calling up Persib's new striker Sergio Van Dijk would guarantee a full house were the game to be played in Bandung but that option is not on the table imagine and there is no guarantee the newly naturalised striker would be given a chance anyway.
The recent record under Maizar doesn't inspire too much confidence either.
P 12 W 2 D 5 L 5 F 8 A 18
They played a Sunday school a couple of times!
Now we have a single national team set up that would have Issac Newton throwing the apple at a passer by. There is a Technical Director, Lionel Charbonier who does whatever a TD does in this country. We have a coach, Nil Maizar who was rather landed with the job when the current PSSI sacked the coach the previous PSSI had hired. And last week we had the news that the head of the PSSI had gone and appointed his own coach in consultation with the Argentine Embassy!
The Thais and the Singaporeans may think their FAs are a mess but even they must acknowledge they are mere amateurs in the presence of the Indonesian FA which shows unlimited creativity when it comes to muddying waters.
You can imagine a FIFA gobfest and PSSI saying to that Thai guy 'you have much to learn young Worawi'!
Anyway Indonesia will not qualify from their AFC Asian Cup Qualifying Group, I don't care what anyone says. The potential that we keep hearing about, usually from foreign observers struggling to be polite, has gone AWOL, probably with Newton's apple, and with Arsenal and Chelsea due to visit later this year we will be hearing the dreaded P word a few more times this year.
In fact, coming soon, I will write up Arsene Wenger's press conference just for the hell of it.
So the national team play Saudi Arabia next month in Indonesia and the PSSI are making noises about moving the game to either Surabaya or Yogyakarta. Their logic, stop laughing at the back, is they think rain may cause flooding in Jakarta.
Well, yes, it may. But of course it also rains in other cities in Indonesia, honest, so the argument applies to both alternatives put forward. As ever we must read between the lines. The new PSSI mob have really proved to be that popular in Jakarta; The IPL Persija spent last season playing in Madiun which is bloody miles away, it rains there as well, and recent friendlies have seen crowds smaller than a Doctor Who Convention in the Falklands.
With the cost of renting the Bung Karno and the serious risk of fan apathy perhaps they are looking for the best way out and a stadium with some fans in it?
Calling up Persib's new striker Sergio Van Dijk would guarantee a full house were the game to be played in Bandung but that option is not on the table imagine and there is no guarantee the newly naturalised striker would be given a chance anyway.
The recent record under Maizar doesn't inspire too much confidence either.
P 12 W 2 D 5 L 5 F 8 A 18
# posted by Me @ 7:23 PM 
