JAKARTA (2 August 2012) – The FA of Indonesia (PSSI) have penned in the SCTV Cup in September as part of their revival of the national squad in preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup in November.
Following the return of several stalwarts like Ponaryo Astaman, Bambang Pamungkas and also Firman Utina for the friendly tie against Spanish giant Valencia CF at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in two days, the SCTV Cup could not have come at a more opportune time.
Other than the Indonesia national side, the tournament will also feature DPR Korea as well as the Under-23 sides of both Indonesia and Malaysia.
“For sure the SCTV Cup will have a positive impact on the continued preparation of the national team for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2012. The match against DPR Korea has been registered as an international ‘A’ match, so it will have an effect on the world rankings,” said Djohar Arifin Husein, the president of PSSI.
“It will also allow the national U23 side to have a better preparation for the SEA Games which will be held in Myanmar next year.”
The Indonesia U23 team will take on their Malaysian counterparts on 9 September while the clash between Indonesia and DPR Korea will be played a day later.
“This is the second time that we are organising the SCTV Cup. Last year, we only had local teams. So we are raising the bar somewhat this year by having national teams instead,” said Harsiwi Achmad, SCTV Director for Programming and Production.
