Australian Coach Says Full Support Indonesian National Team Supporters Can Become Boomerang

Australian coach Graham Arnold during a pre-match press conference (VOI/Ulfa Gusti).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team will face Australia in the second match of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Third Round at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 19.00 WIB.

The Australian national team coach, Graham Arnold, admitted that his team would face a difficult situation when they met the Indonesian national team. The reason is, playing as guests, they will appear in front of 70 thousand Garuda Squad supporters who will put great pressure on them.

"The match will be difficult for both teams, but it will be an interesting battle," Graham said at a press conference at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, Monday, September 9, 2024.

The 61-year-old coach further admitted that the Indonesian national team was a team that continued to grow until it was confirmed that the match was going hard. The situation will get hotter because the Garuda squad plays at home.

However, Graham emphasized that the home team will not always benefit from the support and screams of supporters. According to him, support in the stadium can also backfire which will actually burden the Indonesian national team.

"A lot of viewers can also put a lot of pressure on the players and their own performances. So, it can happen in two directions, but that's good."

"We've been playing for the last few years, a lot of away games, in front of a large stadium," he said.

What the Australian U-23 National Team coach 2018-2021 said was in line with the opinion of his team defender, Aziz Behich. The Melbourne City club player said he and his colleagues could not wait to feel the atmosphere of the SUGBK.

"We are very excited. We estimate tomorrow will be a competitive match. So, we are preparing to show our best performance," said Aziz.

Through its official website, Australia estimates that more than 75,000 supporters will fulfill SUGBK. Meanwhile, as many as 65,000 tickets sold by PSSI for Indonesia versus Australia have been sold out even long before the match.