"Garuda" Team's Play in World Football”

Indonesia regained its optimism and dream of appearing in the FIFA World Cup after
crushing Brunei, 6-0. Tragedies in the past also provided Indonesia with a long
journey in an effort to achieve this ambition.

Translation: Every story has its own character. Most characters have to face
setbacks or losses before eventually achieving their success. A similar story is being
pursued by the “Garuda” team, who aspire to soar high on the world stage.

The dream of appearing in the FIFA World Cup is once again planted in the minds of
the players of the Indonesian national football team after crushing Brunei
Darussalam 6-0 in the first meeting of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday
(12/10/2023) at the Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta. This moment is in contrast
to the events at a similar venue and event four years ago.

At that time, Indonesia's dream of competing in the FIFA World Cup as an

independent nation was shattered at home after the Garuda team was humiliated by
Thailand, 0-3, in the second group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Less than a week before, in the same place, Indonesia was defeated by their
neighboring team and archenemy, Malaysia, 2-3. Additionally painful, at that time,
the Garuda team had initially taken the lead twice through Beto Goncalves.

Those two defeats reaffirmed Indonesia's poor reputation in their efforts to make a
mark in the world of football. Prior to their match against Brunei yesterday, the
Garuda team had suffered 13 losses and not a single victory in the 14 pre-World Cup
matches they had played since 2011. Indonesia seems to be living out the lyrics of
the late Glenn Fredly's song, "Never Ending Sorrow".

Of the 13 qualifications that have been carried out since the 1958 edition, the 2022
World Cup is the worst for Indonesia. The Garuda team led by Simon McMenemy
lost seven times and did not score a single victory in eight matches, including against
other Southeast Asian neighbors, Vietnam. The Garuda team became the target of
opponents, conceding a total of 27 goals or an average of more than three goals per
match.

That is the curse of Indonesian soccer. At the same time, Indonesia was under the
spotlight of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) due to the violent
behavior of supporters before the match against Malaysia. The reputation of
Indonesian soccer was tarnished twice.

The Indonesian football season reached its peak on October 1 2022. As many as
135 Aremania fans died in the Indonesian League 1 match between Arema Malang
versus Persebaya Surabaya. Instead of being known for its achievements,
Indonesian football has actually caught the attention of the world public because of
its horrors. "Football's killing field," said The Jakarta Post providing sharp
self-criticism in its editorial column.

In most dramas, tragedy or defeat is a catalyst towards victory. This was proven by
Pandawa when they faced Batara Kala. In the context of football, a rebirth or
resurgence from multiple downfalls has been demonstrated, one of which by Italy.

Before becoming world champions in 1982 in Spain, the "Gli Azzurri" team was
rocked by the totonero scandal, aka "illegal toto" gambling. Paolo Rossi, the striker
who was suspended for three years (then cut short by a year) in 1980 because of the
scandal, actually became an Azzurri hero with his six goals scored in Spain.