Recently, Indonesian football has been in the headlines for various negative reasons. Now it seems they got an opportunity to get out of those negative vibes. World champions Argentina will visit Indonesia to play friendly matches. Argentina will tour Asia in June and will play two friendly matches on this tour. It was already known that the world champions will face Australia in China next month. According to Reuters, Lionel Scaloni’s team will also travel to Indonesia.
Argentina vs Indonesia Friendly Match Schedule
Argentina will play a friendly match with Australia on June 15 in Beijing, China. After that, Lionel Messi’s team will catch the plane to Indonesia. The date of the friendly match between Argentina and Indonesia has not been finalized yet. However, the Argentina Football Association announced June 19 as a possible date.
Can This Friendly Match Help to Improve Indonesia’s Soccer Setbacks?
Currently, Argentina is hosting the FIFA U20 World Cup, which was supposed to take place in Indonesia. Argentina was chosen as the new host after mass protests in Indonesia. This World Cup will end on June 11, which started on May 20.
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The main issue in Indonesia was about hosting Israel. Israel is one of the participants in the U20 World Cup. During the draw of the tournament, it was seen that several Indonesian states were not willing to host Israel’s matches. As soon as this problem came to the front, the international organization of football, FIFA, canceled Indonesia from the status of the World Cup host.
Apart from this issue, there were 135 deaths from unintentional causes of domestic football in Indonesia. This loss of life occurred in the riots and stampede after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya Club in Liga One. The mishap occurred in October 2022, in the Malang region of the country’s East Java. Eight months after the accident that shook the football world, Argentina is going to play a friendly match in the country. So, this match is expected to improve Indonesia’s condition regarding football.
Football is a very popular sport in Indonesia. But the country has not been able to make an impression on the global football arena. They participated in the 1938 World Cup while under Dutch rule, and that was their last foot on the world stage. More recently, however, Indonesian football fans have had a great occasion to celebrate. Last week, they won gold at the Southeast Asian Games for the first time since 1991.
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The arrival of Argentina is generating immense excitement throughout the country, and it is a source of great joy. Erick Thohir, the chief of the Indonesian Football Association, views this visit as a chance to bring about a positive change.
Argentina and Indonesia last met at the World Youth Championship. In 1979, the legendary Diego Maradona played for Argentina in Japan. Indonesia lost that match 5-0.
Final Words
It is not sure yet if Messi will participate in the friendly match between Argentina in Indonesia in June 2023. But it is believed that Argentina will visit with its full strength. Indonesia is ranked 149 in the FIFA rankings. Time will tell if Argentina will tour Asia with the World Cup-winning team. However, Asian Argentine fans have been waiting for the arrival of the world champions.
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