TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto has pledged full support for the Indonesian national football team ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which are set to begin next year, in a bid to improve the Garuda squad’s performance.
“Bapak President said, ‘All programs proposed by PSSI [Football Association of Indonesia] for the national team, especially preparations for 2030 [World Cup], whose qualifiers will begin next year's September, must be properly safeguarded and prepared,’” Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir said on Friday, June 19, at Prabowo's private residence in Hambalang.
According to Thohir, President Prabowo has expressed full support for all national football development programs and is committed to sustaining that support in the long term.
The government's strategic move is expected to strengthen the national team's readiness before it begins its qualification campaign, scheduled to start in September next year.
“Bapak President also said, ‘As the leader of this country, whatever support we can provide for football, I will do it,’” Thohir remarked.
On the same occasion, Indonesia national team coach John Herdman said that President Prabowo shares the same aspiration as millions of Indonesians to see the country compete on the world stage.
Herdman said the President’s ambitious goal reflects his deep passion and commitment to the advancement of Indonesian football.
"I keep saying we have 280 million reasons [to qualify for World Cup] and he's one of them," he said.
Therefore, he stressed that the national team’s primary focus and target at present is to secure qualification for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Herdman also expressed confidence that achieving the goal would have a massive positive impact and permanently transform the course of Indonesian football history.
Moreover, Herdman said he is focused on preparing the Garuda squad for its two upcoming tournaments, the AFF Championship and the FIFA ASEAN tournament.
Read: Why Did Prabowo Summon John Herdman, Erick Thohir to Hambalang?
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