JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae-yong gave a strong warning to the players ahead of the 2023 AFF U-23 Cup in Thailand. He said the team's departure to the White Elephant Country was not for a vacation.
The U-23 national team squad actually left for Thailand on Monday, August 14. They departed without full strength.
A number of mainstay players such as Rizky Ridho, Witan Sulaeman, Adi Satryo to Fajar Fathur Rahman were not brought together. Some names of abroad players such as Rafael Struick to Ivar Jenner are also not on the list.
Despite the absence of many mainstay names, STY believes his team can still fight to the fullest. "Even though the players are not complete, they are not going to Thailand for a vacation," said Shin Tae- Yong, quoted from the PSSI website on Tuesday, August 15.
"Mereka saya pastikan akan bekerja keras untuk menjadi yang terbaik," lanjutnya.
In the 2023 AFF U-23 Cup, the U-23 Indonesian national team joined Group B with Malaysia and Timor Leste. The Garuda Muda squad had to fight hard to win because only the group winners automatically qualified for the semifinals.
While the team in second place will struggle with runners up from other groups to become one of the best runners-up.
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The Indonesian national team will play their first match, Friday 18 August. In the match which was held at Rayong Stadium, STY troops will fight Malaysia. Indonesia's second match will face Timor Leste which will be held on Sunday, August 20.
On another occasion, Chairman of the National Team Agency (BTN) Sumardji said the appearance of the U-23 National Team in the 2023 AFF U-23 Cup will be Indonesia's preparation ahead of the next tournaments.
"This AFF U-23 Cup is a preparation for the U-23 team to compete in the AFC Asia qualification against Taiwan and Turkmenistan, next September," said Sumardji.
"Then proceed to the main target of being able to compete in the 2023 U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar as a qualification for the Paris Olympics. So with all the tournament series, the AFF U-23 Cup is very important," said Sumardji.
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