Indonesia prioritizes World Cup tickets, hides "stars" when playing Man United

The friendly match between Man United and ASEAN All-stars will take place on May 28. Compared to other countries in the region, Indonesia and Thailand do not have famous names as expected. The two strong football nations in the region only participate with the factors in the secondary squad.

Specifically, Indonesia only sent two players, Asnawi Mangkualam and Muhammad Ferarri. Meanwhile, Thailand sent three players: goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai, defender Nicholas Mickelson and midfielder Peeradon Chamratsamee.

Stars like Chanathip, Supachok, Suphanat (Thailand) or Jay Idzes, Thom Haye, Maarten Paes (Indonesia) are all absent because the clubs and coaches want to save their energy for the FIFA Days series in June.

Two Indonesian players sent to attend friendly match with Man United

In particular, Indonesia's main reason is that they still have a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. They are currently ranked 4th in Group C and will face China (5-6, home) and Japan (10-6, away).

Indonesian Football Federation President Erick Thohir affirmed that the goal is to win tickets early instead of waiting until 2038 as originally planned.

"We don't just want to participate in the World Cup once, but aim for a long-term, sustainable presence," he emphasized. PSSI is even ready to withdraw Asnawi and Ferarri from the match against Man Utd if coach Kluivert requests.

Currently, AFF has finalized 17 players from 9 member federations and will add 6 more names to complete the ASEAN All-stars squad.

ASEAN All-stars squad to play Man Utd so far:

Goalkeepers (2): Patiwat Khammai (Thailand), Haziq Nadzli (Malaysia)

Defenders (6): Asnawi Mangkualam, Muhammad Ferarri (Indonesia) Do Duy Manh (Vietnam), Kan Mo (Cambodia), Nicholas Mickelson (Thailand), Dominic Tan (Malaysia)

Midfielders (5): Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Hoang Duc (Vietnam), Maung Maung Lwin (Myanmar), Azwan Ali Rahman (Brunei), Peeradon Chamratsamee (Thailand)

Forwards (4): Bounphachan Bounkong (Laos), Andres Nieto (Cambodia), Joao Pedro (Timor Leste), Ezequiel Aguero (Malaysia).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/indonesia-uu-tien-ve-du-world-cup-giau-sao-khi-dau-man-united-196250420191400589.htm