Low optimism on RI's chances against China

Low optimism on RI's chances against China

JAKARTA (JP): National team manager Irawadi D. Hanafi said on
Tuesday he was not too optimistic about Indonesia's chances of
overcoming heavy favorite China at home on Sunday to reach the
second round of the 2002 World Cup qualifier.

He admitted in a news briefing that national players might be
less fit for the match as they still had to play for their
respective clubs in the Bank Mandiri national league only one day
after returning home from Kunming, China, last Tuesday.

Indonesia was beaten 5-1 on May 13 by host China, for the
first time in the qualifying round, giving way to the Asian
powerhouse to advance to the final qualifier along with nine
other Asian zone group champions.

Only two or three Asian countries will qualify for the World
Cup finals and join hosts South Korea and Japan, which qualify
automatically.

Indonesia will resume training on Wednesday, the same day that
the Chinese team will touch down at Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport.

"I have never pushed the players to win over China because we
already understand our skills. We can't force them further if
they are under form. The result will tell the story of our team's
real fight," Irawadi said.

However, he refused to blame it on the league schedule, which
was revised several times. The latest revision, issued on April
24, said the second round was from May 6 to June 19.

Irawadi, who is also treasurer of the Soccer Association of
Indonesia (PSSI), urged the players to be honest about their
physical condition.

"If they are not physically fit and are exhausted, they should
tell me honestly. If a player is not physically ready, even if
he's a key player, I won't field him."

Irawadi also said that China started the team preparation
three months ago, compared to Indonesia which only had three
weeks of training before the qualifier kicked off early in April.

"With better payment, Chinese players will race to show their
best. The Chinese national squad coach, Bora Milutinovic,
receives US$1.2 million per year while our coach Benny Dolo only
gets a tiny amount compared to him."

A Chinese player can get a $300,000 contract with a soccer
club. Playing on the national team is merely to improve the
players' national ranking.

"China is really serious about developing soccer as an
industry. Kunming itself, for example, has 12 soccer fields in
one area," he said.

Despite the gloomy outlook, Irawadi has asked soccer fans to
support the national team. PSSI plans to issue some 60,000
tickets for Sunday's match at Bung Karno stadium in Senayan
sports complex.

"There must be hope. We hope the score can bring us a bit of
joy. By seeing the match themselves, the soccer fans can see how
their national team plays and after all, they can make their own
judgment on which team deserves to qualify for the World Cup," he
said. (ivy)

Group 9 standing:
(Team, P, W, D, L, GF, GA, Pts),
(China, 5, 5, 0, 0, 23, 3, 15),
(Indonesia, 5, 4, 0, 1, 16, 5, 12),
(Maldives, 6, 1, 1, 4, 8, 19, 4),
(Cambodia, 5, 0, 1, 4, 1, 19, 1)