Jakarta –
Indonesia has not moved on in the 173rd position in the latest FIFA rankings. This cannot be separated from the passivity of the Indonesian national team for more than a year.
This position has been occupied by Indonesia since losing 0-2 to host Malaysia, 19 November 2019. The Indonesian national team has not competed again after that match.
Actually, the Indonesian national team has three remaining matches to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Unfortunately the corona virus pandemic has resulted in the remaining three matches being postponed to March 2021.
In the early days of the pandemic, football was completely vacuumed around the world. Slowly, football started rolling again in June 2020.
The international break or FIFA Matchday will also be held again in October and November. However, PSSI did not use it on the grounds that it was difficult to travel abroad or invite foreign teams to Indonesia.
“Look, when inviting the team to come, can you get permission? Then does the country want to come to Indonesia,” said PSSI Acting Secretary General Yunus Nusi to detikSport, in November.
“We also don’t dare to leave. If you want to hold a TC, you will also have a match. The AFF Cup is next year, the schedule has not been decided yet,” he said at that time.
The reason is paradoxical because at the same time the U-19 national team had held TC abroad since the end of last August. Currently, the U-19 national team will return to the outside with Spain as their destination.
The Indonesian national team lost priority to the U-19 national team who will appear at the 2021 U-20 World Cup. As a result, Indonesia did not move from ranked 173 in the FIFA rankings for more than one year.
Indonesia even had to share a place with Cambodia in the 173rd position because they both scored 964 points. Indonesia is far behind Vietnam in the 93rd rank while making them the best in Southeast Asia.
Thailand (111), Philippines (124), Myanmar (137), Malaysia (153), Singapore (158). Indonesia only beat Laos (188), Brunei (191), Timor Leste (197).
(aff/bay)
.
