By Eammon Flanagan

They are not ranked 149 in the world for nothing. Although Indonesia – as Dutch East Indies – reached the World Cup finals in 1938, football success since then has been rare.

Indonesian football has huge potential. Obsessed with European football, Indonesian fans will transfer that passion once their club and national teams improve. They may even pay to get in – getting people to pay to watch the domestic league games is a problem. Club side Persik Kediri have performed well above expectations in the Asian Champions League this season, particularly at home, and this might give the national team some confidence.
Home support can be passionate and intimidating. Former Indonesia coach Peter Withe warns, “You don’t want to upset the home fans. They are passionate but can turn angry.”

This passion will be Indonesia’s best hope of a shock. They’ve been to Holland for a training camp but did not have to qualify so may be a little lacking in competitive match practice. They play Bahrain in the first match so have a great chance to get off to a flyer.

Of course, should Indonesia win the first game expect the local support to rally. Other teams will struggle in the heat and Indonesia may find extra energy from its vocal supporters. If they lose, fans may disappear and players confidence will drop.

Team assistant Demis Djamoeddin is not concerned by Indonesia’s lack of match practice. “It’s okay, we have home advantage and that is more important. Bung Karno Stadium now holds 88,000 and I expect it to be close to capacity for our games.”

It’s a tough group for Indonesia with experienced campaigners South Korea and Saudi Arabia favourites. All players play in the domestic league, which will not improve their chances.

Ivan Kolev is back as coach. Kolev led Indonesia in AFC Asian Cup 2004 when they won their first game in an Asian Cup finals. They shocked French coach Phillipe Troussier’s Qatar 2-1. Officials describe this as their finest moment in the modern era.

A successful tournament could help to lift the game in Indonesia, but the feeling is that the infrastructure isn’t in place to take advantage of any benefits that may come from the Asian Cup.
Expect Persik Kediri’s Erol Iba to push forward from left-back at pace, and Bambang Pamungkas will need to score.

FourFourTwo verdict
No chance of progressing, unless they play all their games in monsoonal rain.