Language constraints may hamper Kolev
Language constraints may hamper Kolev
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The arrival of Ivan Venko Kolev in Jakarta, where he is going to
coach the national soccer team, has raised concern that the
language barrier might hamper him in his job.
At a press conference held last week, an interpreter had to
translate journalists' questions for the 46-year-old Bulgarian.
And when a reporter asked him a question in English, he asked
his translator to tell the journalists he would prefer questions
be asked in Indonesian.
"This is obviously a hindrance that is very likely to slow
things down. Instructions to the players will not be effectively
conveyed," Eddi Elison, a soccer columnist, told The Jakarta Post
here on Thursday.
Eddi recalled that Bernhard Schumm, a former coach of the U-20
national team, did not speak Indonesian either, but he could give
his instructions in English and have them passed on to the
players.
"In the case of Kolev, the players will not know what he has
said until the instructions have gone through an interpreter and
then an assistant," he said.
Kolev, according to Eddi, is the only foreign coach the
national squad has had who cannot communicate in either
Indonesian or English.
"In the past, they could communicate in both languages or just
in English," he said.
"Anatoly Polosin was able to speak Indonesian after only three
months into his tenure," Eddi said, referring to the Russian
coach who guided the Indonesian soccer team to victory in the
Manila Southeast Asian Games a decade ago.
Kolev spent a year in Jakarta in 1999, which some may see as a
sign that he lacks the motivation to learn Indonesian, something
the Bulgarian denied.
"That's not true. I am trying to learn and I have to. It's
just that I am not yet capable of speaking it," Kolev said in
response to the criticism.
Despite the language difficulties, the Soccer Association of
Indonesia (PSSI) defended its hiring of Kolev, with PSSI
secretary-general Tri Goestoro saying the language barrier was
not a major problem.
"He works with an interpreter beside him along with reliable
assistant coaches," he said.
Kolev led Persija to the semifinals of the national soccer
league in 1999. The Jakarta-based club is the reigning champion
after winning the league in 2001.
Two years after leading Persija, Kolev quit his job as the
Bulgarian U-21 team to sign a one-year contract with PSSI. His
immediate goal is to lead the national team to victory at the
Tiger Cup in September.
The biennial soccer tournament featuring teams from Southeast
Asian nations will be cohosted by Indonesia and Singapore.
The region includes Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.