INDONESIA AIM TO WIN AFF SUZUKI CUP 2008

The AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia and Bangkok, Thailand with eight teams vying for honours following the qualification tournament last month.

Hosts Indonesia are in Group A of the meet against defending champions Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia while Group B are hosts Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.

“We are confident that with the right support from everyone concerned, the Indonesian national team will be fully motivated and inspired to put up their best,” said Joko Driyono from the Local Organising Committee, who is also the Director of the Indonesian Football League.

Based on the support from the last Asian Cup 2007 which Indonesia played as one of four host countries, the signs are there that the national team will not be short of competitiveness.

In the last three friendlies which Indonesia chalked up to prepare for the Asian Cup, the Stadion Gelora Bung Karno saw overwhelming support.

And in their first game of the Asian Cup 2007 against Bahrain which Indonesia won, more than 70,000 fans came to support the red and white.

While in their second game against Saudi Arabia, around 85,000 spectators were there alongside Indonesia president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

And in their last group match against South Korea, an estimated 88,000 fans rallied to support their team with thousands more outside the stadium watching the match from the big screen.

The key to the success of the team would be the full committal performance of the national team and with the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 just around the corner, the PSSI have lined up the Grand Royal Challenge Cup 2008 in Myanmar as their main thrust.

National coach Benny Dollo has selected 25 players for the cause.

“We are also doing a lot of promotion for the team and for the tournament where we feel that the support of the fans is very important indeed,” said Nugraha Besoes, the general secretary of the PSSI.

Around 72,000 tickets will be printed for the matches at the Stadion Gelora Bung Karno.

PIC: Indonesia national captain Ponaryo Astaman