Two years ago, U22 Indonesia won the top spot after defeating U22 Thailand in a tense match. Leading Indonesia U22 at that time was coach Indra Sjafri. This year, Mr. Sjafri continues to be trusted by the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), with the task of defending the gold medal.
To achieve this goal, U22 Indonesia has called up a very strong squad, including many players playing in Europe, some naturalized stars who have played for the Indonesian national team. According to Indonesian media, U22 Indonesia has called up a number of outstanding naturalized players, including: Dion Marx, a defender of Top Oss in the Dutch second division; Ivar Jenner has played 68 youth matches for Utrecht; Rafael Struik, a striker who played for the Indonesian national team and Jens Raven playing in the Indonesian tournament, like Struik...
In addition, three players who won the SEA Games in 2023, including 21-year-old midfielder Marcelo Ferdinand, along with Muhammad Ferrari and Ananda Rehan, were also in the U22 Indonesia squad to Thailand.
Indonesian coach Indra Sjafri revealed: "After watching the players' performances in both competitions and training, I believe we have enough capacity to defend the SEA Games title."
The draw results put Indonesia U22 in Group C with the Philippines U22 and Myanmar U22. According to the schedule, they will meet the Philippines U22 on December 8. After 4 days, they will compete with U22 Myanmar.
Indonesian football experts are also very confident in their chances of winning the gold medal in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games. They believe that U22 Indonesia has an even squad, has many high-class players and has a lot of experience in international competition, especially in attack.
Ivan Jenner and his teammates are part of the golden generation of Indonesian football. So I think we should be optimistic about winning gold medals. That determination must be shared by all members of the team, especially the players on the pitch, said football expert Jaya Hartono.
