KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian legend Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto lauded Garuda coach Shin Tae Yong's bold decision to "skip a generation," stressing that it has successfully steered their football back on track.
Indonesia, with four Under-23 and eight Under-21 players, are one of the two Southeast Asian sides that have reached the last 16 of the Asian Cup in Doha.
The question arises: Why does Indonesia possess many quality youngsters?
The answer lies in the initiatives of the Indonesia Football Federation (PSSI) to build a formidable squad for the 2023 Under-20 World Cup.
However, Fifa later revoked Indonesia's hosting rights due to Israel's participation.
Tae Yong's courageous choice to select numerous young players over seasoned ones, like Saddil Ramdani, has paid off
Kurniawan, also Indonesia's Under-23 assistant coach, expressed pride in witnessing these young players rise to the occasion at Asia's highest level.
In the group stage of the Asian Cup, Indonesia lost 3-1 to Iraq, defeated Vietnam 1-0, and went down 3-1 to Japan.
Nevertheless, they advanced to the last 16 as one of the four best third-ranked teams.
Indonesia will face former champions Australia in the last 16 on Sunday.
"The team have performed admirably in Doha. Coach Tae Yong's bold decision to skip a generation of players for the Asian Cup has made Indonesia the youngest team in the tournament, " said former Sabah coach Kurniawan.
"Everyone's hard work is showing results."
Kurniawan also thanked the Indonesian clubs for supporting the nation's agenda.
"We owe gratitude to the clubs in the Indonesian League that gave their young players crucial minutes. The combination of young and senior foreign-local based players is proving effective for the senior team."
"The players worked hard and showed fighting spirit in the group stage in Doha
" It's positive to see these youngsters making their chances count."