Trial Of The Second Indonesian U-23 National Team Against India U-23, Will Indra Sjafri Strike Out Diaspora?

Indra Sjafri has the opportunity to write off the diaspor players during the Indonesia U-23 vs India U-23 trial (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team will undergo a second trial against India U-23 on Monday, October 13, 2025, WIB night. At the match at the Madya Stadium, Senayan, Indra Sjafri as the coach has a chance to write off the diaspora players.

This trial agenda is preparation for the U-23 Indonesian national team to step into the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand in December. However, in the inaugural match, Friday, October 10, 202, the Garuda Muda squad lost 1.2 to India.

The defeat became an important record for Indra Sjafri. He is determined to improve his team's performance in the second match tonight, especially in terms of final settlement and defense consistency.

In the previous match, the spotlight was also on the absence of Dion Markx, one of the diaspora players who was previously called to the training camp.

Regarding this reason, Indra Sjafri explained that the decision was not made solely due to technical factors.

"Apart from Dion (Markx), there are eight other players who are not on the list. Because yesterday's MCM regulation only allowed 23 players to appear," said Indra in a press conference after the match.

This indicates that the decision to write off the diaspora players is due to the quota limit, not performance considerations.

However, this situation still raises speculation whether in the second match the coach will again rely on local players.

Throughout the training agenda, Indra Sjafri actually called several diaspora players, including Dion Markx and Ivar Jenner. However, a number of players were reportedly absent due to the affairs of their respective clubs abroad.

This situation clearly makes the coach have to prepare a backup plan with local players who appear in domestic competitions.

The trial against India is an opportunity for coach Indra Sjafri to finalize the formation and character of Garuda Muda's game.

With the possibility of the absence of several diaspora players at the 2025 SEA Games, the coach must start preparing a team framework from local players. Names such as Dony Tri Pamungkas (Persija Jakarta), Kadek Arel (Bali United), and Marselino Ferdinand (AS Trencin) are said to be the backbone of the team.

Even so, the fate of diaspora players such as Ivar Jenner, Rafael Struick, and Dion Markx is still uncertain whether to appear in the event. You see, for Indra Sjafri, the balance between local players and diaspora remains the key.

"We want to form a solid team. Whoever is the most prepared, he will be called," said the West Sumatra coach on another occasion.