More competitions must be created for young talents to shape up
More competitions must be created for young talents to shape up
Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Watching the national soccer squad being thrashed 0-6 by their
Thai counterparts at the 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in
Vietnam earlier this month, Indonesians could easily have
forgotten that they claim a proud place in soccer history.
In 1938, Indonesia, which competed as the Dutch East Indies,
was the first Asian team to play in the World Cup.
The country then became one of the strongest soccer countries
in the region in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1986, the Indonesian team finished fourth at the Asian
Games, a feat their successors can only dream about.
However, the 1991 SEA Games was the last international event
from which the national team returned victorious with its last
trophy to date.
With a huge, population of soccer-crazy fans, Indonesia is
seen as having the potential to mirror Brazil, which has worked
its way up to become the most successful soccer country in the
world.
"Indonesia is really the Brazil of Asia," declared Peter
Velappan, the secretary-general of the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) in a June 1998 interview with Asiaweek
magazine.
"They play with an intelligence and flair unique in this part
of the world. The talent in Indonesia is better than Korea's or
Japan's, but they have neither the organization nor the will to
clean up corruption," he said.
Five years later, circumstances have not changed much, with
corruption and administrative incompetence still the major
obstacles to the country's success in the world of sports.
The barrier to soccer development in Indonesia appears to lie
in the final stage of preparation, during which players should
hone their skills through regular and competitive tournaments.
In the early stage of this year's season, Indonesia might have
been proud about the performance of its young squad, as shown by
an under-12 team in the 4th Danone Nations Cup.
The team, led by Indonesia's past star Ronny Pattinasarany,
proved it was on a par with the likes of Spain, the Netherlands
and Germany, whose senior teams are looked upon with undisputed
world fame.
Ronny said his proteges' performance showed that Indonesians
had a natural flare for soccer.
"However, the problem remains as to how these budding talents
can be cultivated and polished," he said.
Tournaments do not cater enough to developing these nascent
soccer talents into strong players.
The availability of regulated domestic competitions are
imperative to shaping the players' mentalities and attitudes,
which are, in turn, necessary in order to produce world-class
soccer players.
It is common knowledge that Indonesia has abundant soccer
talents, but deprived of sufficient competition experience, they
are left rough and neglected.
Clubs tend to buy thoroughbred players, be it domestic or
foreign, then go scouting for new talent, nurturing young players
through internal competitions.
Such a tendency has brought about the unavailability of
players ready for use, thus affecting the lineup for the national
team.
Ronny said that if only the soccer clubs were willing to
allocate just five percent of their budget -- most of which is
used to buy professional recruits -- toward holding tournaments
for all age groups, they would certainly encourage growth and a
higher standard of performance.
"It takes time, but it would be cheaper and it would certainly
pay off for the clubs and eventually for the national squad. It
all depends on the will of club owners and patrons," he said.
However, most club patrons tend to run after an instantaneous
one-season victory rather than seek to lay a foundation for far-
reaching goal.
The responsibility for encouraging clubs to hold more
competitions is in the hands of the Indonesian Soccer Association
(PSSI), with its almost all-new board members under the
chairmanship of Nurdin Halid.
While PSSI initiative has yet to be seen, people might already
be skeptical given the composition of the new board.
Nurdin, 45, a legislator of the Golkar faction, took over the
PSSI's helm under the shadow of a ban for his alleged involvement
in a Rp 260 billion (US$30.23 million) graft case.
He then announced the recruitment of a number of high-profile
political figures onto the PSSI's organizational board.
Among the new executives are Golkar presidential candidate
Gen. (ret) Wiranto as Advisory Council chairman, Agung Laksono of
Golkar, Setya Novanto of Golkar, People's Consultative Assembly
deputy spokesman Oesman Sapta, Roy BB Janis of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Taufiqqurahman
Saleh of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Tjahjo Kumolo of
PDI Perjuangan.
Given the current landscape of Indonesian soccer, Nurdin will
face tough challenges during his chairmanship.
The domestic league is plagued with problems both on and off
the pitch while on the international scene, the Indonesian under-
23 team was foiled from advancing to the next stage of the 2004
Olympics qualifications by Lebanon.
The senior team is to take part in the final round of the 2004
Asia Cup, but its qualification run -- during which it was twice
humiliated by Saudi Arabia in their Group C matches -- has raised
questions over the team's health.
Indonesia's embarrassing rout by Thailand at the SEA Games,
which came only weeks after Nurdin's election, was like a slap in
the face of the fledgling PSSI chairman.
However, Nurdin made a new move in mid-December, approaching
former Thailand coach Peter Withe from England for a four-year
stint to train the Indonesian under-20 squad. Many are still
doubtful about the Withe contract, saying the effort would be
wasted if it is not followed up by regulated competitions for all
age groups.
Well, we can only wait and see -- and wish the Brazilians of
Asia luck.