November 13, 2025 | 04:35 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s national under-23 (U-23) football team will play two friendly matches against Mali as part of the FIFA Matchday series, ahead of the SEA Games 2025 in Thailand at the end of the year.
Both matches will be held at Pakansari Stadium in Bogor Regency, with the first scheduled for November 15 and the second on November 18, starting at 8:00 PM WIB.
Muhammad Ferrari, a defender for the U-23 team, welcomed the friendlies, calling them a crucial test before the SEA Games.
“It’s good preparation against Mali. It’s the final test before the SEA Games and very important,” Ferrari told Antara. He added that while the team is not yet familiar with Mali’s strength, they are focused on executing the strategies prepared by coach Indra Sjafri.
“We’re not fully aware of Mali’s strength yet, but we’re focused on Coach Indra Sjafri’s tactics,” he said.
Why Mali?
Head coach Indra Sjafri explained that the team ideally should face opponents of varying strengths.
“Ideally, these friendly matches should be against tough teams, some equal, and some below our level,” he said. “We tried to find two suitable teams for friendlies and eventually settled on Mali to simulate balanced competition.”
Sumardji, Chairman of the National Team Board (BTN), noted that Indonesia initially planned a match against Bahrain.
“Bahrain withdrew due to a tournament in Kyrgyzstan, so we scheduled two matches against Mali,” he said. The first planned match against Bahrain on November 12 was canceled, leaving only the November 15 and 18 games.
Sumardji added that the matches are not counted toward FIFA ranking points. “These FIFA Matchday games are registered in tier 2 because our opponents are also U-23. The results won’t affect the FIFA ranking,” he said.
SEA Games 2025 Preparation
The friendly matches are part of the centralized training camp ahead of the SEA Games. Indonesia is drawn in Group C alongside Myanmar, the Philippines, and Singapore. The U-23 team is defending champion, having defeated Thailand 5-2 in the 2023 gold medal match in Cambodia.
BTN confirmed that Marselino Ferdinan, currently on loan at AS Trencin in Slovakia, will join the SEA Games squad despite not attending the ongoing training camp.
“Lino is indeed in the squad,” Sumardji said, adding that arrangements are underway for his arrival in late December before the team departs for Thailand. Other senior national team players joining the squad include Rafael Struick, Muhammad Ferrari, Mauro Zijlstra, and Ivar Jenner.
Targeting Gold in Thailand
Coach Indra Sjafri acknowledges the challenge of defending the SEA Games title, especially in Thailand, the most successful team in the competition with 16 gold medals.
“Everyone wants the gold medal, but we also have to be realistic because we’ll be playing in Thailand,” he said.
Indra added that PSSI, Indonesia’s football association, expects players to perform at their maximum.
“We chose the players we believe are the best, and the results will naturally favor us,” he said. Currently, the squad consists of 33 players, with the final 23 to be selected by November 26–27.
The two friendlies against Mali will help the U-23 team fine-tune their tactics, test player readiness, and build cohesion ahead of the SEA Games 2025.
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