NEW ZEALAND FRIENDLY OFF FOR INDONESIA

The match was initially slated for 1 April 2009 in Jakarta but due to the election campaigning, the Indonesia FA (PSSI) felt that it is better to cancel the match.

“It is difficult for us to have this match at such an important time in the national calendar. And with the police personnel having to be involved with the election campaigning to maintain order, we felt that it is best to call off the game altogether,“ said Nugraha Besoes, the general secretary of PSSI.

National coach Benny Dolo said that the cancellation of the New Zealand friendly will not disrupt his plan for the year although it would mean that the national team will now only get together for the one-off game against Manchester United in July.

“It is disappointing having to cancel the game against New Zealand but we also have to understand the circumstances,” added Benny.

“Having said that, I’m still hopeful that we can get the players for a centralized training when a break opens up in the league. If not for anything else but just to brush up on the touches and feel of the players as a unit.

“Before playing Mancehster United (on 24 July), I hope that we can have the players together for at least a month.”