Appreciation For The Success Of The U-22 Indonesian National Team For The Gold SEA Games, Former Players Hope PSSI Continues To Make Improvements

JAKARTA - The praise and congratulations continued to flood the U-22 Indonesian national team after successfully winning the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games gold medal. Understandably, this achievement has been highly anticipated by the public of national football.

Appreciation also came from former 1996-1997 National Team player Roberth Nicson or familiarly called Roni Wabia.

The national team player for the 1996 Asian Cup and 1997 World Cup Qualifiers is proud that Indra Sjafri's team broke their title fast after 32 years of Indonesia without a football gold medal, where they were last won in 1991.

"As a former national team player, I am proud that the trip of the national team from 1997 at the Asian Games was one of the perpetrators, there, and the final continued to face the Thai team," recalled Roni.

Roni Wabia assessed that Indonesia's achievements in the Cambodian SEA Games soccer field were proof of the real work of PSSI which had carried out good management of Indonesian football.

"It's a long journey, if they are champions now we have to respect it, because PSSI management is already good, to achieve achievements not only in the material of players, but management must be good," he said, as quoted by Antara.

He hopes that the improvement of the football management carried out by PSSI must be maintained, because it will greatly affect the development of the current national team players.

According to him, if you want to talk about football's achievements in the international arena, then the political interests and sectoral egos must be abandoned.

"Once again, as a former national team player, I respect the younger siblings, they have won first place and the gold medal is extraordinary, and it is supported by all Indonesian people," continued the man who now serves as Head of the Bank Papua Branch, West Papua Province.

In addition, he also hopes that football development in the regions is routinely carried out, so that a generation of football will grow which will be brilliant in the future.

"We know that Papua's land is a warehouse for talented players, but with the lack of competition and coaching, this talent will be in vain," he said.