Revealed the reason why Indonesia's 2 best young stars did not attend U.23 Southeast Asia

Head coach of Indonesia U.23 - Mr. Gerald Vanenburg has explained why he did not call up two of the country's top young football players, Marselino Ferdinan and Rafael Struick. According to the Dutch coach, this decision is to serve the greater goals of football in the archipelago country.

Priority for Indonesian national team

When the official list of U.23 Indonesia was announced, the absence of Marselino Ferdinan (born in 2004) and Rafael Struick (born in 2003, naturalized) raised many questions in public opinion. Both are still old enough to play for U.23 Indonesia to participate in the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian tournament. However, coach Vanenburg affirmed that this was a deliberate calculation, because both are being prioritized for the national team. "They are not here because they are already in the national team. Meanwhile, we have enough players for the U.23 team," said coach Vanenburg.

In addition, because the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament is not part of FIFA's official competition schedule, the host clubs Oxford United (England) and Dewa United (Indonesia) are not obliged to release players for U.23 Indonesia.

Marselino Ferdinan is now playing for the Indonesian national team

PHOTO: PHUC THANG

Marselino (35 appearances for the Indonesian national team) and Struick (25 appearances) have become important factors under coach Shin Tae-yong at the national team level. Coach Vanenburg said that the biggest goal of Indonesian football at present is to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, Marselino and Struick staying to serve the Indonesian national team in the friendly matches against Kuwait and Lebanon is a priority for the country's football federation.

Despite losing two of his brightest young stars, the Dutch coach still expressed his satisfaction with the current quality of Indonesia U.23. The squad for this tournament includes many promising young players currently playing in the Indonesian national championship, along with some faces who have played for the national team such as Ferarri, Arkhan Fikri or Kadek Arel.

"I am satisfied with the young players currently in the U.23 team. They still have to learn and improve, but I believe in their quality. Who is present or not is not a big problem for me," Mr. Vanenburg emphasized.

At the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament, U.23 Indonesia is in Group A with Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lo-ly-do-2-sao-tre-hay-nhat-indonesia-khong-du-u23-dong-nam-a-185250715144728339.htm