Soccer final decisive for Wullems
By Budiman Moerdijat
JAKARTA (JP): Self-confidence and optimism are the two key traits that have enabled the Indonesian soccer team's Dutch coach Henk Wullems cope with the unrelenting pressure to win the gold medal in the 19th SEA Games soccer competition.
Having seen off Singapore in Thursday's semifinal, only Thailand now stands between Indonesia and gold. Tonight's final will seal Wullems' fate.
By tomorrow morning he will either be the nation's savior, or possibly looking for a new job.
"The pressure is enormous, everybody wants Indonesia to win a gold medal," he told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
But in this kind of situation there has to be someone who can keep the team's spirits up and Wullems seems to be doing the job well.
"It is not only the players, I also have to calm myself," he said, admitting that as "a normal human being", he also felt the weight of expectation.
Wullems, who was born on Jan. 21 1936, has been head coach since May, when he replaced Danurwindo, who was sacked after Indonesia only managed to draw 1-1 against Cambodia in a World Cup qualifier.
Wullems is not a new face on the Indonesian soccer scene.
Prior to his present position with the national team, he coached two of the country's top soccer clubs, Bandung Raya and Pelita Jaya of Jakarta.
Under his tutelage Bandung Raya took the Dunhill League title in 1996.
His resume before coming to Indoneia also makes impressive reading. In 1973 he took NAC Breda to a premier league crown and three years later took Vitesse Arnhem to the first division title.
In the last five months he said he had been applying a flexible training method.
Unusualy for a coach, he has listened to the players to ascertain exactly what sort of training they thought suited them. This two-way approach has resulted in the Indonesian team's results improving dramatically.
"I have a very good relationship with the players," he said, adding that this was of the utmost importance if the team is to be successful.
He said it was more like a bond between father and sons than the link between a boss and his employees.
"I love them and I consider them as my sons," he said. "I often joke around with them during our daily training sessions."
When asked to comment on the development of Indonesian soccer, he said the country should improve its organization, coaching system and stadiums if it ever wants to become a soccer great.
"People are crazy about football here and there is enormous potential for soccer to develop a long way."
But he stressed that people should not be too impatient as the development of the game is still in its early stages.
"Indonesia only started its professional league three years ago."
Wullems, a father of three sons, said he was going to return to Holland after the Games for a holiday but would return to see out the remaining months of his contract..
And after that? "I don't know yet... " was all he would say.