U.20 Indonesia disappointed at Asian tournament, coach resigns and will not attend SEA Games 33

Coach Indra Sjafri confirmed that he is ready to resign because he failed to complete his mission after U.20 Indonesia drew 0-0 with Yemen in the final match of Group C of the U.20 Asian Cup on February 19. As a result, he will not attend the 33rd SEA Games.

U.20 Indonesia was eliminated early after losing to U.20 Iran 0-3 and Uzbekistan 1-3, ending the dream of finding a ticket to the U.20 World Cup finals (taking place in September in Chile) among the 4 semi-finalists of the U.20 Asia tournament. In the final match against U.20 Yemen, who were quite equal, Indonesian fans hoped that their team would have a consolation victory.

Indonesian fans are worried that the U.20 team with the core of the upcoming SEA Games 33 is too weak and will lose to opponents like the Vietnamese youth team.

Photo: Ngoc Duong

However, U.20 Indonesia still showed a lackluster performance, even underperforming their opponents. They were lucky to draw 0-0 to get 1 point and leave in disappointment. This performance of outstanding player Dony Tri Pamungkas and his teammates continued to receive fierce criticism from home fans.

In particular, experienced coach Indra Sjafri was under enormous pressure, not only after the first two defeats, but even more intense after the goalless draw against U.20 Yemen.

He said: "I failed to complete my mission. I took too big a risk, which was to set the goal for the Indonesian U.20 team to win a ticket to the World Cup. Therefore, I am ready to resign. I completely leave it to the PSSI (Indonesian Football Federation) to decide. I am not interested in being replaced, because this is the federation's mission, regardless of the risk of failure, I still take full responsibility."

Coach Indra Sjafri has led the Indonesian youth teams since 2012. He is also the coach who helped the Indonesian U.22 team win the gold medal in men's football at the 32nd SEA Games in 2023 in Cambodia after 32 long years of waiting.

With the decision to resign after the Indonesian U.20 team disappointed at the U.20 Asian tournament, this coach will also say goodbye to the 33rd SEA Games taking place at the end of this year in Thailand.

According to CNN Indonesia , if PSSI officially replaces coach Indra Sjafri, it is likely that another member of coach Patrick Kluivert's coaching staff in the Indonesian national team will take over the U.20 team. Similarly, coach Gerald Vanenburg is leading the U.23 team.

Through that, these coaches will have the choice of suitable players to participate in the 33rd SEA Games in the U.22 age group to successfully defend the gold medal in men's football.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u20-indonesia-gay-that-vong-tai-giai-chau-a-hlv-tu-chuc-khong-du-sea-games-33-185250220084005646.htm