Jakarta (ANTARA) – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin is optimistic of the Indonesian national football team emerging as champion in the 2022 AFF Championship.
He said that Indonesia must emulate the success of Morocco to reach fourth place in the recently concluded 2022 World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African country to do so.
“We must be inspired by Morocco. That country was an underdog (at the 2022 World Cup), but they did reach the semifinal. If Morocco could achieve that, how can Indonesia not?” Amin stated during his working visit to Semarang, Central Java, Tuesday, as per the statement received here.
The vice president expected the national team to achieve the feat, as they currently recorded six points following two victories against the national teams of Cambodia and Brunei Darussalam.
He emphasized that the national team must not become complacent after their success in the two matches, as he considers upcoming matches more challenging.
“(Recent victories) are only the start because they only defeat Brunei and Cambodia, and they are yet to meet the top teams. Thailand and Vietnam would be significant (challenge) for them,” Amin expounded.
While commending the good performance of the national team in recent matches, the vice president reminded them to continue improving their physical stamina to ensure their victory in all matches.
“We hope your endurance and your (performance) power will be strong. We are hopeful that Indonesia could continue (to the final stage) and emerge victorious in the AFF (Championship). Let us pray for them,” he remarked.
Amin affirmed that the government would continue encouraging the national team to achieve more victories through the Grand Design of National Sports (DBON).
He also expressed optimism that Indonesia would be victorious at the ASEAN level and progress as the Asian and world champions.
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