Kurniawan: "Don't ever doubt my Red-and-White spirit"

April 4, 2001

Indonesia's finest bomber at the moment, Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto, said firmly on Tuesday (4/3) that no one should doubt his spirit and determination to defend the national team in any event. Furthermore, he said that he himself had forgotten all the bad press about him in the past that had stained his name and reputation.

"I treat them all as the colors of life, nothing worth remembering. I don't know how many years I still have left for the national team, so that's why I've always tried to give my best to defend Red-and-White in any event. All the bad press in the past in turn makes me more mature, both in and out of the football field," said the former striker of the Primavera team.

He also revealed that he hopes there will be more young strikers in the national team.

"We have to think of regeneration, and it has to be done naturally and fairly. We have to have a strong national team from junior levels, and that's why we need consistent competitions at every age level, from every village and city. Only a good competition will deliver talented players for the national team," he continued.

About national team's chance in the World Cup qualifiers against Maldives on Sunday (4/8), Kurniawan said that every player is ready and they assume Maldives will have a typical play to that of India's.

"We're blind about them, and I'm pretty sure they're also anxious about us. But with high fighting spirit, and playing in front of our own supporters at Bung Karno Stadium, I hope we won't be embarrassed by them. I hope that the fans in attendance will really be able to burn our spirit on the field," said Kurniawan.

Asked about China who's thought to be Indonesia's toughest opponent in Group 9, Kurniawan said that there should be no burden for his teammates in facing the Asian giants.

"Everybody knows about China's strengths, so all of us can play with nothing to lose. By playing with no burden, we hope that our best abilities will come out and hopefully the expected result will be achieved," he explained.

Kurniawan's teammate in Primavera and PSM Makassar, Bima Sakri, agreed that China is a strong team, but they're nothing to be feared.

"This is just football, so why should we be afraid? Most of us have faced them before at 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon. Moreover, four of us (Kurniawan, Bima, Ronny Ririn, and goalie Hendro Kartiko) were just playing against their champions Shandong Luneng a few weeks ago at Asian Champions Cup. We know their team pretty well, their strengths, weaknesses, and characters. Those things will help," told Bima, the national team's skipper.

According to Bima, the biggest advantage of playing in the qualifiers is that it will just increase the national football atmosphere.

"Even more so if we're able to defeat Maldives and Cambodia at their home turfs. We know it's not an easy job, so that's why we're asking for full support from football fans all across the country," said Bima.

from www.sepak-bola.tv (94/3/01)