RI booters ready to play S. Koreans<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is beating its warfare drum ahead of
\nits Olympic Games qualifying round soccer match against powerful
\nSouth Korea at the Senayan stadium on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The South Koreans, buoyed by its 5-0 drubbing of lowly Hong
\nKong, will serve as a stern test for Danurwindo's men, who have
\njust completed their two-year Italian stint.<\/p>\n
Money was no option for the All-Indonesia Football
\nAssociation, which has been exploring every avenue in restoring
\nthe national soccer echelon. The overseas stint, in the world's
\nmost outstanding soccer country, cost the association at least Rp
\n1.2 billion (US$545,000) a year.<\/p>\n
\"We are ready to fight it out,\" Nirwan Bakrie, the official in
\ncharge of building the national team, said yesterday. \"Our team
\nis not bad. It has developed its own pattern and it has a strong
\ndrive to win.\"<\/p>\n
The team, trained under the tutelage of Danurwindo, Harry
\nTjong and Tord Grip, has yet to prove its exceptional prowess,
\ndespite their two wins and a draw in its three try-outs so far.<\/p>\n
Swiss premiership Lucerne's Kurniawan led his squad to a
\nhumble 0-0 draw with Singapore and an unemphatic 2-0 win over
\nJohor 10 days ago. They improved, however, with a narrow 2-1
\nvictory over national league leader Pelita Jaya on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"The results do not exactly portray our chances. I'm still
\noptimistic we have something to do, to beat South Korea,\" said
\nNirwan. The team relies on most of the country's squad members,
\nwho donned the national colors in the 1994 Asian Youth
\nChampionship finals here.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, South Korea and Hong Kong join Group C of the Asian
\nzonal qualifying round, with the winner marching into the next
\nround. Indonesia hosts Hong Kong on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia was an inch closer to qualifying for the 1976
\nOlympic Games when Iswadi Idris and company lost in a heart-
\nstopping penalty shoot-out to North Korea. It has never
\nprogressed farther than the sub-group qualifying round since
\nthen. (arf\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-booters-ready-to-play-s-koreans-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}