Indonesia drops tryout matches in South Korea
Indonesia drops tryout matches in South Korea
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian soccer team, preparing for the
18th Southeast Asian Games, canceled its tryout matches in South
Korea yesterday.
Secretary-General of the national team body, Endro Sumarjo,
told reporters after a meeting yesterday with SEA Games project
officer, Arie Sudewo, that the South Korean Football Association
had failed to pick teams and arrange times for the friendly
matches.
"They are not ready to fulfill our request right now," said
Endro, quoting the All-Indonesia Football Association's
secretary-general Soeparjo Pontjowinoto, who received a call from
his South Korean counterpart earlier yesterday.
Endro and assistant coach Andi M. Teguh met with Arie to
explain the cancellation and the team's other training plans
prior to the SEA Games soccer competition, which starts five days
before the opening ceremony on Dec. 9.
Arie called yesterday's meeting after the national soccer body
revealed the South Korean's plan on Monday. It would have been
the Indonesian team's second tryout after the first in China on
Wednesday.
The national team lost 2-3 to the Chinese Olympic team in
Beijing last week, but Andi, an assistant to Italian coach Romano
Matte, said his men have improved.
"We should have played more matches against such strong teams
like China and South Korea to pump up our confidence," a
disappointed Andi said yesterday.
He said the cancellation could possibly cost Indonesia the
chance of winning the gold in Chiang Mai. "We're shooting for the
glory but we lack real tests," he said.
The 20-man soccer team had also arranged some friendly matches
against the New Zealand national team, Halmstad and Helsinberg of
Sweden and the Fijian national team, but failed.
Andi made sure that his squad would not play a single warm-up
match against a foreign team. Instead, they will take on PSIS
Semarang this weekend and a selection team from the Indonesian
professional league next week. The selection team will include
foreign booters.
The national SEA Games booters will meet host Thailand in the
Group A opening match on Dec. 4.
Basketball
Meanwhile, the Indonesian men's basketball team planned two
more warm-up matches against Pelita Jaya of Jakarta and
basketball league runner-up Hadtex of Bandung, West Java, before
the Games.
Coach Bambang Hermansyah said the next games would test his
men's speed and defense. "They are just 15 percent shy of their
peak form," Bambang said.
Bambang's 12 boys returned from their Australian outing last
week. They won two friendlies but lost three times by an average
of eight points.
Bambang said his squad managed to improve their team work
during the five matches abroad. "I remain optimistic about taking
the silver," he said. The Indonesian men finished third in the
1993 SEA Games in Singapore.
Defending champion the Philippines, parading its professional
players, is favored to retain its crown in Chiang Mai. Thailand
lost to the Filipinos in the 1993 final, but it won some
consolation by grabbing the women's gold medal.
The only bad news Bambang dispatched was a foot injury
afflicting playmaker Oky Tamtelahitu. The coach, however, said it
will take Pelita Jaya's Oky only a few days to recover. (amd)