December 15, 2025 | 01:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of the National Team Body (BTN) of PSSI, Sumardji, has confirmed the federation will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Indonesia U-23 National Team following its failure to reach the semifinals of the SEA Games 2025 in Thailand. The Garuda Muda squad’s elimination, despite being the defending champions, was primarily attributed to their failure to maintain a clean sheet in the final Group C fixture against Myanmar.
"We will immediately conduct a comprehensive evaluation, starting from the pre-preparation, preparation, and through the implementation during the SEA Games," Sumardji told Tempo on Monday, December 16, 2025.
Sumardji stated that PSSI believed the team’s preparation, led by coach Indra Sjafri, had been maximized across both technical and non-technical areas. Tactics, strategy, and player composition had been the federation's core focus before the team departed for Thailand. "Even the non-technical implementation (accommodation and support facilities), we prepared everything to the best we could," he said.
Despite these efforts, Sumardji acknowledged that the final outcome fell short of expectations. "We know the result is not pleasing. We lost, and that is very burdensome and disappointing," he conceded.
Indonesia closed the group stage with a 3-1 victory over Myanmar at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai on December 12th. Toni Firmansyah (45') and a late brace from Jens Raven (89', 90+6') secured the goals for Indonesia, overriding an initial lead taken by Min Maw Oo (29').
Crucially, the win was insufficient to secure a spot in the semifinals. Garuda Muda finished as Group C runner-up with three points, tied with Malaysia from another group, but was eliminated on goal difference. The ticket for the best runner-up went to Malaysia.
Earlier in the tournament, Ivar Jenner and his teammates suffered a shock 0-1 defeat against the Philippines in the opening match. The Philippines subsequently secured a historic first-ever SEA Games semifinal spot by defeating Myanmar 2-0.
This early failure marks the first time Indonesia has been eliminated in the SEA Games group stage since 2009. As the defending gold medalist from the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, the result has triggered widespread disappointment among Indonesian football fans.
Sumardji disclosed that Indonesia had specifically targeted a 3-0 victory and a clean sheet against Myanmar. "The fact is, we couldn't keep a clean sheet. That's what ultimately prevented us from advancing," he explained. "We will evaluate all of this comprehensively, covering both technical and non-technical aspects."
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