Many Superior Seeds, PDIP Reminds Football Players To Be Integrated

JAKARTA - Secretary-General of the PDI-P, Hasto Kristiyanto, said there are many good football players to strengthen the Indonesian national team. However, the government needs to participate to improve integrated development.

This was conveyed in response to the performance and hard work shown by the Indonesian national team throughout the 2020 AFF Cup.

According to Hasto, the Korean national team, Shin Tae-Yong, has performed well throughout the championship and was even able to advance to the final despite being dominated by young players. This is what makes the Indonesian national team a conversation on social media and mass media.

"The national team has performed well throughout the AFF Cup tournament and was even able to advance to the final even though it was dominated by young players. The players have fought hard", he said in a written statement on Sunday, January 2.

However, Indonesia still had to accept defeat in the final against Thailand because they lost 0-4 in the first leg and drew 2-2 in the second leg.

Learning from this failure, relevant stakeholders are deemed necessary to design several things so that in the future the Indonesian national team will be more reliable. Moreover, with this defeat, Indonesia has been runner-up six times in the final.

"Indonesia needs to continuously design how in the future it can have a reliable national team, have a fighting spirit, and professional abilities in terms of strategy, technique, individual ability, teamwork, and high endurance", said Hasto.

He also said that it is necessary to develop soccer from an early age so that it can become a winning team, at least in the ASEAN region. In fact, Hasto said, this coaching effort must be carried out in an integrated manner with the help of all parties.

"Starting from looking for talent, recruitment, training to countries that have reliable football schools, to systemically coaching by looking for young players who are talented and have a high fighting spirit", he said.

Hasto then asked people who have a great interest in football, such as SOE Minister Erick Thohir, to the Mayor of Solo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to participate in this effort. Thus, superior seeds in the world of football can be captured.

Moreover, Indonesia is a large country with hundreds of millions of people. "With a population of 270 million, Indonesia should have excellent seeds for the presence of a strong national team", said Hasto.

"Characters such as Erick Thohir, Maruarar Sirait, Gibran Rakabumi, and Rafi Ahmad and others who are known to have a great interest in football can sit down with PSSI management and Menpora Zainudin Amali to design football coaching in the country so that in the future we will have a reliable national team", he concluded.