Erick Thohir Welcomes Shin Tae-yong to Persija Positively, Optimistic Indonesian League Can Reach Top 10 in Asia
BERITATOP - PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir welcomed the news of Shin Tae-yong joining as Persija Jakarta's coach. According to him, the presence of a quality coach like Shin can enhance the competitiveness and quality of the national football competition.
Erick revealed that the Indonesian League has shown a positive trend in recent years. One indicator is the rise in the national competition's ranking in the AFC Competition Ranking, from 25th to 20th in Asia.
He emphasized that the next target is to bring the Indonesian League into the top 10 best competitions in Asia.
"That's good. Because the Indonesian League ranking has risen from 25th to 20th, if I'm not mistaken. Our target is to reach the top 10," said Erick Thohir.
Besides performance, Erick assessed that the development of the Indonesian League is also visible in its commercial aspects. According to him, the national competition is currently the top in Southeast Asia.
He believes that more quality coaches handling Indonesian clubs will have a positive impact on the quality of play. The presence of quality foreign players is also believed to drive an increase in competition standards.
"Previously, commercially, the Indonesian League was ranked first in Southeast Asia. This means the more coaches who manage clubs, the better the quality of the clubs will be. Similarly, with quality players coming to the Indonesian League, the league will certainly be better," he said.
Nevertheless, Erick emphasized the importance of stricter selection of foreign players. He urged competition operators and clubs to ensure that the foreign players brought in truly contribute to the development of Indonesian football.
According to him, foreign players playing in Indonesia must be able to improve the quality of the competition while also serving as good examples for local players.
"That's why I asked the I.League, the standardization of foreign players must improve day by day. Don't bring in foreign players who don't provide positive contributions to Indonesian football, let alone get involved in things like match-fixing," stressed Erick.
He also added that the quality of foreign players must be continuously improved to help the development of local players and strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesian clubs.
Furthermore, Erick believes that improving the quality of the Indonesian League will have a direct impact on the progress of the Indonesian National Team across various age groups.
"So, the more good coaches come to the Indonesian League, the better the league's quality will be, and hopefully, the league can break into the top 10 in Asia," he said.
According to Erick, strengthening the domestic competition is an important part of the foundation for national football development, which goes hand in hand with youth development starting from the U-17, U-19 levels up to the grassroots programs continuously developed by PSSI.
