LONG TERM TRAINING FOR INDONESIA NATIONAL TEAM

JAKARTA (17 Jan 2010) – Following what was felt as a disappointing year in 2009 for the Indonesia national team Nurdin Halid, the president of the FA of Indonesia (PSSI) stated that there are several recommendations on the pipeline which also include long-term training for the national side.

Nurdin made his comments in a recent interview with Indonesian tabloid Bola where he explained that the PSSI were well aware of the disappointments of the fans following the national team’s lacklustre performance in 2009.

He said that the changes which will be made this year are geared towards making sure that the national side is competitive where in 2010, they will be involved in the 2012 Olympic qualifiers, the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and also the Asean Football Championship.

“In anticipation of the three events, we have to look at having the national team train together for a longer term,” said Nurdin.

Nurdin said that he is well aware of the disappointment of the Indonesian football community over the failure of the national Under-19 side in making the cut for the AFC Championship and also that of the senior team’s failure in making the final rounds of the Asian Cup 2011.

Apart from longer training session, Nurdin also said that the PSSI are waiting to sign a new Technical Director.

“We are looking at signing someone from abroad obviously where he will have the quality to deliver what is expected of the national team,“ added Nurdin.

The PSSI will also be looking to expand the role of the National Selection panel where they will report directly to the Technical Director.