Busy Schedule, Choi In-cheol Replaces Shin Tae-yong For Senior National Team Training For FIFA Matchday

The coach of the Indonesian national team, Shin Tae-yong. (Doc. PSSI)

JAKARTA - The schedule for the senior Indonesian national team and the close age group has made the head coach, Shin Tae-yong, have to set a time. Most recently, he appointed the assistant coach, Choi In-cheol to replace him in leading the senior national team's training.

The Garuda squad is in preparation to appear on FIFA Matchday against Turkmenistan on September 8 at the Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya. Prior to that agenda, all players were engaged in training to perform optimally.

The intense exercise also continues when the players have gathered in Surabaya starting Monday, September 4. Shin Tae-yong opened and directed him but then the assistant took over.

This was done by Shin Tae-yong because he had to go to Solo to lead the training for the U-23 Indonesian national team which would compete in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup Qualification. With the coach's departure to Solo, the senior national team was under the supervision of Choi In Cheol.

"Pak Sumardji (Chairman of the National Team Agency) has conveyed on the fourth date Coach Shin (Tae-yong) in Surabaya to open the FIFA Matchday exercise. After the opening, Tuesday he went to Solo to open the complete U-23 national team training," said Exco PSSI Endri Erawan in his statement in Jakarta quoted on Wednesday, September 6.

"Later (during Shin Tae-yong's time in Solo), Choi (In-cheol) will lead the training," he continued.

Even though they have to go back and forth Solo-Surabaya, Shin Tae-yong still has his main task of coordinating the two national team groups that will compete.

The South Korean coach just asked his assistant to monitor the training. Because when the senior national team appeared on FIFA Matchday, Shin Tae-yong continued to accompany him.

"It's just training, but Shin Tae-yong will still be benched during the match (Indonesian national team)," continued Endri.

Endri also mentioned the composition of players in the senior national team, where two players had been called but they were injured. The two names are Shayne Pattynama and Yakob Sayuri, so the two of them have not had time to join the team.

With this situation, Shin Tae-yong initially felt that there was no need to look for other players to fill Shayne and Yakob's positions. But when the training continued in Surabaya, Dimas Drajad and Yance Sayuri were reportedly injured.

This then made Shin Tae-yong rack his brain, he finally decided to call several players from the Indonesian U-23 national team instead. Those chosen were Alfeandra Dewangga, Donny Tri Pamungkas and Dzaky Asraf who would follow to Surabaya.

"There is no new face, we only have one match against Turkmenistan so we will call from the U-23 team, namely Dewangga, Donny, and Dzaky," he said.