Valderrama set for charity match

JAKARTA: Although several big names have pulled out, Luis Garcia of Spain, Carlos Valderrama of Columbia and Careca of Brazil are confirmed to play in the March 1 tsunami charity match in Bung Karno stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Organizer PT Excelcomindo Pratama (XL) announced on Wednesday that several players withdrew from the match -- originally scheduled to be played on Feb. 28 -- due to other commitments.

Ruud Gullit of the Netherlands and Jean Tigana of France were among the notable names missing from the final list of players on Wednesday.

"It's quite difficult to match their schedules with the charity match. Thus we see some players withdrew from the match, but others suddenly agreed to take part in the match," spokesman Mirwan Suwarso said.

The international soccer star team will play against a team including players from Indonesia and the region, such as Fandi Ahmad of Singapore and Piyapong Pue On of Thailand.-JP