Indonesian fans eye redemption in inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup

JAKARTA – Walking around the Indonesian capital, you would not know that Jakarta is hosting Division One of the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup tournament from Sept 25 to Oct 5.

Except for banners and buntings around the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which will stage the opening Group A matches on Sept 25, there are few signs that some of the region’s top football teams are in town.

But online, the excitement is palpable, with Indonesian fans buzzing with high expectations ahead of their crunch Group A clash against Singapore, which will follow the opening match between Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Matches for Group B, comprising Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan, will be held primarily in Bandung.

The attention on the opening day will be on the Gelora Bung Karno, where almost 80,000 fans are expected to turn up, with most baying for blood for Indonesia’s exit at the hands of Singapore in the ASEAN Championship.

The memory of the 1-1 draw in Singapore between the two sides on Aug 7 which sent the Lions through to the semi-finals is still fresh, but Indonesian fans like Andri Triandono are looking forward with renewed optimism, buoyed by the availability of their top guns.

The big names, including a clutch of Europe-based players, were not released for the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) tournament as it was held outside the FIFA international window.

Relishing the chance for redemption, Andri said: “The results at the AFF were quite disappointing because we should at least be getting into the final.”

The 34-year-old wedding organiser, who had followed the national team for many years, had watched in dismay when Ilhan Fandi equalised for Singapore in the 1-1 draw at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

“There were many reasons… They didn’t have a full squad as (the competition) did not fall in a FIFA window, but this tournament is and I think we can challenge the other ASEAN nations.

“I hope Indonesia can get to the final (of the FIFA tournament) and win the championship. I’m confident.”

His eyes will be on Thom Haye, the 31-year-old midfielder for Super League club Persib Bandung, to orchestrate Indonesia’s attack from deep.

“I’m looking forward to watching ‘The Professor’ (Haye) play because he is my idol,” he said.

With home-ground advantage and the services of foreign-based stars such as Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Paes, Lille defender Calvin Verdonk and Borussia Monchengladbach defender Kevin Diks, Indonesia have been installed among the favourites.

And Andri believes Indonesian fans have accepted the presence of heritage players as the new normal.

He said: “I don’t see any problems with that, other nations are also doing the same thing, not just in ASEAN, but countries like France and Spain too – maybe they did it long ago and now it is new for our region, but I think it’s good for development.”

But Indonesia coach John Herdman was careful to deflect the weight of expectation building around his side.

“We believe that if we focus on ourselves and on proving ourselves right – rather than being busy trying to prove others wrong – we can get the job done well, because the talent is there,” the Englishman, who took over from Patrick Kluivert in January, told the media on Sept 22.

“There’s a group of players that haven’t been together for three months and it’s their job is to connect quickly, brush off the cobwebs, brush off the rust.

“So, it’s about us. Every match is a battle against our own standards. If we can maintain those standards, we have a very strong chance of lifting the trophy.”

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