Boas likely to be fit for Singapore

Fans of talented national team player Boas Salossa can breathe a sigh of relief after his injury from Saturday's Tiger Cup final is not considered serious.

Boas suffered a twisted ankle in a tackle with a Singapore player in the 27th minute of Indonesia's 1-3 defeat to the visitors at Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, South Jakarta.

After clutching his leg for several moments, the 18-year-old Papuan -- tipped as a star of the future -- was carried off on a stretcher.

National team coach Peter Withe said on Sunday that Boas was expected to be ready to return to practice in three to four days -- with the likelihood that he will be ready for the second leg on Jan. 16.

Withe said Boas' decision to leave the pitch may have had more to do with the fear that he would exacerbate the injury.

"Some players want to keep on playing, while others are worried and want to quit," said Withe, himself a former player for Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, among other teams, in the 1970s.

Boas, who graduated from the junior squad to play for the national team last year, has the third highest number of goals (4) from Indonesia's 2004 Tiger Cup campaign.

-- JP