Fafa to join national team for the 18th SEA Games
Fafa to join national team for the 18th SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): The nation's most seasoned spiker Imam Agus
Faisal, better known as Fafa, will make his fifth successive
appearance at the Southeast Asian Games in December.
Indonesian Volleyball Association Secretary-General M. Solli
confirmed yesterday that Fafa, an employee at the state-owned
bank, BNI 46, decided to join the national team for the 18th SEA
Games after receiving a green light from his boss.
"BNI has informally agreed to release Fafa for the Games,
starting from Oct. 20. We are now waiting for a formal letter
from the bank," Solli said.
Solli and national coach Wienarto met the bank's human
resources manager on Wednesday, to request time off on Fafa's
behalf until the Dec. 9 to Dec. 17 Games are over. The National
Sports Council also sent a letter to the bank for the same
purpose on Tuesday.
Fafa, who led his team to a golden hat trick in the last three
SEA Games, had refused a call-up from the association due to his
job commitment.
"His return to the team will encourage our bid to win a third
gold medal in a row," Solli beamed. The association needs Fafa to
boost his team's morale after fellow veteran Pascal Wilmar
withdrew from the team.
Defending champion Indonesia has picked seven newcomers to
back up its five regular spikers, who will include Fafa.
Solli said that Wienarto had changed his mind about sidelining
Fafa even though he had missed the centralized training program
for the past three months.
"We believe that such an experienced spiker as Fafa will
quickly regain his form during the next one-and-a-half month,"
Solli said.
Fafa is scheduled to join a series of try-outs throughout
Java, starting today.
Solli, however, changed his tone when asked about the national
women's team's gold medal winning chances. "The host team looks
to have a better chance," Solli admitted. The Thai women are now
ranked fifth in Asia behind China, South Korea, Japan and Chinese
Taipei.
"The Thai manager joked that he would allow us to take the
men's gold when we met recently, but he asked for the women's
crown," Solli said. Thailand's female spikers, like the
Indonesian men, have been unbeaten since 1989. (amd)