Claiming To Have No Difficulty Communicating With The Indonesian National Team, Elkan Baggott: Coach's English Is Good

Elkan Baggott (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Central defender Elkan Baggot admitted that he had no difficulty communicating in the Indonesian national team squad, where the majority of players speak Indonesian.

"I don't think there is a problem," said Elkan at the Bung Karno Intermediate Stadium, Jakarta, Wednesday.

Elkan, whose father is British and thousands of Indonesians, is an English speaker in daily activities. Currently, Elkan is also listed as a player for the English club, Ipswich Town.

While in the national team, the languages used are Korean and Indonesian. This is because the coaching staff of the Garuda squad, head coach Shin Tae-yong and his assistants, namely Kim Bong-soo, Shin Sang-gyu and Choi In-cheol, are citizens of South Korea.

The coaches were also assisted by a Korean to Indonesian translator, namely Jeong Seok-seo or Jojo to interact with the players.

Apart from Jojo, the assistant coach of the national team Yoo Jae-hoon, who has lived in Indonesia since 2010, also doubles as a translator.

Although almost no one speaks English on the field, Elkan Baggott does not find it difficult to work with the national team.

Because some Indonesian national team players are fluent in English. That language is often used by Shin Tae-yong to have direct dialogue with Elkan.

"Coach Shin often directly translates Korean to English for me. The coach's English is good. So I feel okay," said Elkan.

Elkan Baggott is a debutant in the senior Indonesian national team. Previously, the 19-year-old footballer who was born in Thailand had strengthened the Indonesian U-19 national team in several test matches.

Currently, Elkan and his colleagues in the Indonesian national team are undergoing preparations for the 2020 AFF Cup starting in December 2021. The training camps (TC) are taking place in Jakarta and Turkey.

Coach Shin Tae-yong's foster children are scheduled to leave for Turkey on Thursday, November 11.

In Turkey, apart from training, the Indonesian national team will also host the FIFA international friendly matches against Afghanistan on November 16 and Myanmar on November 25.

In the 2020 AFF Cup, Indonesia, which is in Group B with Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos, will have its first match on December 9, 2021, against Cambodia.

Next, Indonesia will face Laos on 12 December 2021, Vietnam three days later, and Malaysia on Sunday 19 December 2021.

All Indonesian national team matches are held at Bishan Stadium, Singapore. The 2020 AFF Cup was held centrally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.