Low optimism on RI's chances against China<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): National team manager Irawadi D. Hanafi said on
\nTuesday he was not too optimistic about Indonesia's chances of
\novercoming heavy favorite China at home on Sunday to reach the
\nsecond round of the 2002 World Cup qualifier.<\/p>\n
He admitted in a news briefing that national players might be
\nless fit for the match as they still had to play for their
\nrespective clubs in the Bank Mandiri national league only one day
\nafter returning home from Kunming, China, last Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia was beaten 5-1 on May 13 by host China, for the
\nfirst time in the qualifying round, giving way to the Asian
\npowerhouse to advance to the final qualifier along with nine
\nother Asian zone group champions.<\/p>\n
Only two or three Asian countries will qualify for the World
\nCup finals and join hosts South Korea and Japan, which qualify
\nautomatically.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will resume training on Wednesday, the same day that
\nthe Chinese team will touch down at Soekarno-Hatta International
\nAirport.<\/p>\n
\"I have never pushed the players to win over China because we
\nalready understand our skills. We can't force them further if
\nthey are under form. The result will tell the story of our team's
\nreal fight,\" Irawadi said.<\/p>\n
However, he refused to blame it on the league schedule, which
\nwas revised several times. The latest revision, issued on April
\n24, said the second round was from May 6 to June 19.<\/p>\n
Irawadi, who is also treasurer of the Soccer Association of
\nIndonesia (PSSI), urged the players to be honest about their
\nphysical condition.<\/p>\n
\"If they are not physically fit and are exhausted, they should
\ntell me honestly. If a player is not physically ready, even if
\nhe's a key player, I won't field him.\"<\/p>\n
Irawadi also said that China started the team preparation
\nthree months ago, compared to Indonesia which only had three
\nweeks of training before the qualifier kicked off early in April.<\/p>\n
\"With better payment, Chinese players will race to show their
\nbest. The Chinese national squad coach, Bora Milutinovic,
\nreceives US$1.2 million per year while our coach Benny Dolo only
\ngets a tiny amount compared to him.\"<\/p>\n
A Chinese player can get a $300,000 contract with a soccer
\nclub. Playing on the national team is merely to improve the
\nplayers' national ranking.<\/p>\n
\"China is really serious about developing soccer as an
\nindustry. Kunming itself, for example, has 12 soccer fields in
\none area,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Despite the gloomy outlook, Irawadi has asked soccer fans to
\nsupport the national team. PSSI plans to issue some 60,000
\ntickets for Sunday's match at Bung Karno stadium in Senayan
\nsports complex.<\/p>\n
\"There must be hope. We hope the score can bring us a bit of
\njoy. By seeing the match themselves, the soccer fans can see how
\ntheir national team plays and after all, they can make their own
\njudgment on which team deserves to qualify for the World Cup,\" he
\nsaid. (ivy)<\/p>\n
Group 9 standing:
\n(Team, P, W, D, L, GF, GA, Pts),
\n(China, 5, 5, 0, 0, 23, 3, 15),
\n(Indonesia, 5, 4, 0, 1, 16, 5, 12),
\n(Maldives, 6, 1, 1, 4, 8, 19, 4),
\n(Cambodia, 5, 0, 1, 4, 1, 19, 1)<\/p>",
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