... as it is not just about playing but also about boosting the nation`s reputation ..."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) urged more Indonesian soccer players to gain knowledge and experience in foreign clubs, Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi stated.

"(The goal is) for them to have experience, knowledge, and high discipline, as it is not just about playing but also about boosting the nation`s reputation, as a big country, with great talent too," Nahrawi noted after accompanying the U-19 national soccer team player Egy Maulana Vikri to meet the president at the Merdeka Palace on Friday.

President Jokowi also instructed that training must be optimized to produce qualified athletes, Nahrawi pointed out.

The basic necessity for developing outstanding athletes is coaching since an early age while receiving education, Nahrawi remarked.

Nahrawi expects that Vikri, chosen by Lechia Gdansk, the Polish football club, can prove himself as a talented player from Indonesia.

The young player, who wears jersey number 10, returned to Jakarta for the U-19 football team training to prepare for a match against the Japanese team at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

(Reported by Bayu Prasetyo/Uu.Y013/INE/KR-BSR/A014)

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Editor: Priyambodo RH
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