Alfred Riedl, the chief coach of the Indonesian national team attended his first PSSI (FA of Indonesia) Congress in Bali recently and it is an experience that he will never forget.
The Austrian, who was signed last year, guided the Indonesian side to the runners-up spot at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010. He gives his views on PSSI, the national Under-23 team, Irfan Bachdim and Boaz Solossa among others.
Goal.com: What do you think of the PSSI Congress you attended recently?
Riedl: It is a new experience for sure, it is unique as I’ve never something like that in Austria. There’s never much meeting in Austria. I might not have understood fully what went on throughout though.
Goal.com: What is your assessment of the national Olympic team?
Riedl: There are some things lacking for sure. We need to be more solid and we need more training. I believe that the young players can only get better as the SEA Games approaches.
Goal.com: Turkmenistan (Indonesia’s opponent in the Olympic qualifiers) are ranked 133rd by FIFA – not too far off from Indonesia’s 126th placing. What do you think of Turkmenistan?
Riedl: Turkmenistan are a tough opponent. The majority of the players came from the side which played in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup 2010, when they lost to DPR Korea Utara through penalties. At the Asian Games 2010, their U23 side beat Vietnam 6-2 before losing to Thailand 1-0 in the group of 16.
Goal.com: On Irfan Bachdim, there are several arguments on why he should be included in the national U23 team. One is a Presidential Regulation within the Indonesia Gold Programme in which it is stated that any talented player can get a direct invitation from the chief coach of the Olympic or the SEA Games team. Secondly, Philippines duo Philip and James Younghusband will still be called to the Philippines national team even though they have signed for a team in the Indonesia Premier League (IPL). What is your opinion on this?
Riedl: I’m under contract with PSSI. Personally, I do not have a problem with IPL or Irfan Bachdim, but I have to honour my contract with PSSI as they are the one who give me a job here. They tell me that I can only take players under the auspices of the PSSO, so that is as far as what I can do. I’m in control when the players are on the field, out of it, I do not have a voice. I have to abide by the ruling of PSSI even though I would have liked to have Irfan and Kim (Jeffrey Kurniawan) into the U23 squad. At the same time too, we cannot just look at Irfan alone or on his performance at the AFF Suzuki Cup. He played well in the first two games but he faltered in the important matches against Thailand and Philippines – his performance waned.
Goal.com: But is that not due to non-technical issues?
Riedl: I’m only looking at the facts, his performance dropped at the time. Is it due to the excessive media coverage or other external activities? My concern is only when they are on the field. And when he decided to join the IPL, I was worried that his performance will drop even further. Players of even the highest quality will suffer in performance and standard when they play in a league which is not too competitive or of reasonable standard.
Goal.com: What is your assessment of Syamsir Alam?
Riedl: Excellent. He is a good player. I saw him for several hours and Syamsir Alam has good talent, strong and a good posture as compared to some of the other players in Indonesia. He has the skills but maybe at this time, he is a bit young and we might consider him in one or two years. But he should get as much experience as possible especially in Uruguay and become a full-fledged professional. Then we will see.
Goal.com: But will you still be here in a year’s time?
Riedl: It all depends on the results of the SEA Games, we should win the gold medal. Otherwise, it is better that I go back to Austria.
Goal.com: Boaz Solossa is playing well lately for Persipura.
Riedl: Yes, he is still under my watch.
Goal.com: Are you considering to have Boaz back in the national team?Riedl: There’s nothing to consider really as I will call him the next time the national team assemble. It is good that he keeps on playing well for his club (Persipura), I need him to keep on showing his ability on the field and I will call him to Jakarta. But more importantly, he also has to be more disciplined on and off the field. If he misbehaves again, I will remove him from the national team. Important thing at this time is that we are still giving him a chance.
Goal.com: What do you think of the on-going politics in Indonesian football?
Riedl: No comments.
