Interview with PSM Makassar General Manager

The following is an interview conducted with Drs. H. Kadir Halid, the General Manager of PSM Makassar.

AFC (Asian Football Confederation) finally trusts PSM Makassar to host the Asian Champions Cup matches. Any comment on this?

Obviously, I'm very grateful that AFC has kept their faith on us. Ever since the beginning, we've been very determined to have this honor. For example, we requested a postponement for AFC inspection team, from February 16 to March 8, so that we could have more time to prepare ourselves well. We hoped that by looking at our hardwork in preparing for the event, AFC would have no more doubts. This is a historical event not only for the team, but also for Indonesian football.

How are the preparations for the stadium and other facilities?

There's no more problem, it's now very different from what it used to be. All we need to do now is some finishing touches and cleaning around the stadium. The lights have been upped to standard, as well as the quality of the grass. In addition to that, we've prepared four other supporting football fields for all the teams to practice. We have spent at least Rp. 4M for all these.

What about security?

We hope everything will carry on just fine. We have coordinated everything with Military District Command Wirabuana and Provincial Police Department of South Sulawesi. So hopefully, there'll be no more worries about the safety of all the players and officials in Makassar.

How has being the host for the big event affected PSM Makassar?

Psychologically, the players feel more comfortable playing at home. They'll have added incentives from the support of our fanatical fans. At least, we hope the players will give all their best in every match to steal as many points as possible. That's why for all these reasons we wanted really bad to be the hosts.

What is PSM's target for this event?

About target, we're not going let our dreams sweep us off our feet. We are being realistic, because our opponents are very tough and you can say that they're of a higher level than PSM. Nevertheless, we have to feel optimistic playing in front of our home crowd. Playing to the maximum. That's all.

Any calculations on how many points PSM needs to get before qualifying for the semifinals?

Yes, there is, and we need at least four points to qualify. That's from one win and one draw. We hope the only win will come from our match against Shandong Luneng of China. Without trying to underestimate the Chinese champions, they're relatively weaker compared to the other two.

And the other point?

That one we hope will come from our match against Suwon Samsung of South Korea. We realize how hard it is to get a point off Jubilo Iwata of Japan, because they're extremely tough.

Do you believe that the target of four points will be achieved?

We will see on the field. What I believe is I believe in the abilities of my players. They are capable of creating upsets, and we have some experienced players who are used to international stage. The likes of Bima Sakti, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, and Hendro Kartiko. Up front, we have an excellent Cameroonian marksman Fouda Ntsama who is in good rhythm with Kurniawan.

from: Jawa Pos Online