U-17 soccer competition enters second stage

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Extra Joss Under-17 soccer tournament, with teams from all over Java has entered the second stage with eight teams set to compete for a place in the final.

However, some criticism of the national soccer body was evident at the announcement on Tuesday, over its inability or unwillingness to develop younger players.

The eight teams are split into two groups, eastern Java and western Java. The teams will play their round robin matches within their group, with the winners of each group advancing to the final.

The West Group, which will be played in Bandung, West Java, and Jakarta, features ASIOP Jakarta, Tunas Putra Bogor, Bina Pakuan Bandung and Picnic Planet Bandung.

The East Group, with its venues in Semarang, Central Java and Surabaya, East Java, comprises Apac Inti Semarang, Ksatria Solo Surakarta, Petrokimia Gresik and Sinar Harapan Sidoarjo.

The 2002 tournament, in which the highlights will be aired by SCTV, featured 40 teams overall at the kick-off in August and featured a plethora of goals during the month-long competition.

In 96 matches so far, the tournament produced 287 goals, just about 3 goals per match.

Taufik Rahmat of Bina Pakuan has emerged as the top scorer with 12 goals.

Despite the enthusiasm about the tournament, it appeared to be far from assuring that the players would proceed to the next level of competition.

Yusuf Rizal responded to criticism of the national soccer body (PSSI) and said it was trying to find, in this tournament, some younger players to determine whether any of them deserved to be included in the national junior training program.

PSSI is the national soccer federation, currently chaired by Agum Gumelar, who is also the minister of transportation.

"Pak Agum has promised to monitor the players and if eligible, they will be taken to the national training center in Medan," Yusuf said in a media conference at the Hilton Hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday.

However, he failed to elaborate further on whether the organizers had already worked out a plan to carry on with the talent scouting.

"Leave it to PSSI as to how we will carry out our promises," Yusuf retorted.

"We are very hopeful that this tournament can contribute to the development of national soccer," he added.

A total of Rp 35 million (US$3,888) is up for grabs in the tournament.

The eight teams will begin its month-long group matches on Sunday. The final will be held at the Rawamangun soccer field in East Jakarta on Nov. 3.