Courtesy: Jakarta Globe


Indonesia Picks Experienced AFF Championship Squad

Though it’s not the perfect situation, the Indonesian Futsal Body, or BFN, will do the best it can with what it has.

With the futsal season yet to kick off, the BFN put its faith in players with prior international experience for the 2009 AFF Futsal Championship at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on June 8-14.

“The ideal situation is we pick the players after we see how they perform in the league,” national team coach Justinus Lhaksana said Tuesday. “But according to competition regulations, we have to submit our 25-player provisional squad list [by Tuesday]. So, we’ll do what we can.”

The Indonesian Futsal League, or LFI, is scheduled to begin its second season sometime in May.
Of the 25 players in the squad, eight were part of the team that finished second at the 2008 AFF Championship, losing 5-1 to Thailand in the final.

Inaugural LFI champion Electric PLN has eight players in the provisional squad. Justinus said he would only take 14 players to Vietnam, so the 25 men called up will undergo a rigid selection process beginning in mid-May.

Indonesia has a tough draw in Group A alongside reigning champion Thailand, Burma and Malaysia. Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and East Timor make up Group B. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals.

“I think it will be us against Malaysia [for second], though we also must not take Burma lightly,” Justinus said. “I believe we can at least emulate our achievement in the previous championship and go to the final again.”

To accomplish this, the BFN hired experienced Dutch player and coach Stef Van Meerveld to assist Justinus.

Provisional squad:
Goalkeepers — Dede Sulaiman, Setio, Yos Adi Wicaksana
Field players — Surya, Andre Picessa, Denny Handoyo, Wahyu, Abdullah Uswanas, Afif Tamimi, Amril Daulay, Fachry Assegaf, Jaelani Ladjanibi, Muhamad Ikhsan, Sayan Karmadi, Topas Pamungkas, Bagas, Fiki, Hendra Kurniawan, Indra, Jeffri Purba, Kharismawan, Taufiq, Alfian, Mozes, Ronaldo.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com