Building Indonesian Football From Long Sleep Through The Match Against Argentina

JAKARTA - Indonesian football lovers will be presented with an interesting spectacle on June 19. The Indonesian national team will challenge the world champion, Argentina, at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta.

The two teams will meet on the FIFA Matchday agenda. Obviously, this match became a historic match for the Indonesian national team.

The success of the U-22 Indonesian national team in winning a gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games is a big motivation for PSSI to generate Indonesian football from a long sleep. The match against Argentina is one of his efforts.

PSSI General Chairperson (Ketum) Erick Thohir is excited to continue to spur Indonesian football after ending the 32-year wait to win the SEA Games gold medal.

He didn't want success after the 2023 SEA Games to dim. "We see the future. Just like the SEA Games, already won, yes. Don't let our SEA Games champions sleep again," said Erick Thohir during a press conference at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK) on Wednesday, May 24.

For Erick Thohir, the opportunity to fight the team with FIFA's first rank is an honor for Indonesian football. This moment is also an opportunity to boost Indonesia's mentality and ranking on the FIFA list.

"It's an honor for us, they (the Argentine national team) chose Indonesia. What does that mean, big matches like this, we can only do it once a year," explained Erick Thohir.

"Our FIFA Matchday will fill the majority to improve our ranking. We have a dream of entering the top 100, qualifying for the World Cup. What does that mean? There must be someone who really plays, someone to improve mentally."

"So the preparation was (FIFA Matchday), so I repeat that we want to prepare our national team well," said the Minister of SOEs.

Argentina is believed not the last big team PSSI will bring in. Several giant teams have been approached to make a friendly match against the Garuda squad.

Regarding a number of large teams that will be tested by the Indonesian national team, Erick Thohir stated that he had been in contact with a number of countries such as Morocco, Brazil, Portugal, and Russia.

"I have contacted Morocco, Brazil, Portugal, Russia, and they have received a positive response, but we can only face one team in a year, so we have to prepare for the national team match to win the rankings," said Erick.

In addition to going against the Argentine national team, the Indonesian national team was previously scheduled to meet with the Palestinian national team on June 14 at the Gelora Bung Tomo stadium, Surabaya.