Jakarta (ANTARA News) - After holding week-long exercises at the Cilegon Krakatau Steel sports stadium, the Indonesia`s senior soccer team continued its workouts in the Manahan stadium, Solo, Central Java, to prepare itself for trial matches with Palestine and Jordan.

The senior soccer team was scheduled to do he trial matches against the national Jordanian team of players under the age of 23 years (U-23) on August 18, and against the Palestinian national team on Aug. 22. Both matches will be held in the Solo`s Manahan stadium.

In the next trial match, the senior soccer team will face Jordan on August 27 in Jordan before playing against Iran on September 2, 2011.

In the first leg of the next Pre-World Cup 2014 round Group E, the national team would face Iran which is believed to be the strongest opponent in the group.

In a tossup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil recently, the Indonesian soccer team was put in Group E along with Iran, Qatar and Bahrain.

The senior soccer team started conducting its week-long exercise program at the Cilegon Krakatau Steel sports stadium, Banten province, on Friday (Aug 5) after defeating Turkmenistan 4-3 in the second round of the Asian zone in Jakarta on Thursday (July 28, 2011).

"During the week-long exercises at the Cilegon Krakatau Steel sports stadium, the senior team made very significant progress," assistant coach Liestiadi said in Cilegon on Thursday (Aug 11).

According to him, the national team will continue doing exercises in the training camp in Solo until its departure to Jordan for a trial match on August 27.

The All Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) chose the Solo Manahan stadium as an exercise venue for the Pre World Cup 2014 national team due to its adequate infrastructure and accommodation.

Liestiadi also said the exercise pattern in Solo Manahan stadium depend on the decision made by the chief coach Wim Rijsbergen and physical coach Raymond Verheijen.

Meanwhile, Raymond Verheijen left Indonesia on last Sunday because he is also needed by the Wales team.

Regarding the team members stamina, Liestiadi said the fitness level of about 20 percent of the national team members is still below the medium level, so that the team needs an effective training programs.

"If compared with the other Asian Pre World Cup 2014 teams fitness, the national team members fitness is still under the medium level," the national coach assistant Liestiadi said here on Sunday afternoon following the national team exercise in the Manahan sports stadium.

Thus, the national soccer players need to increase their stamina up to at least 30 percent from now.

Although the team`s stamina after undergoing exercises for three days in Solo Manahan stadium has shown an increase, but they have not reached a high level, so that their physical condition should be improved, he said.

"During the fasting month of Ramadhan, we should be able to adjust the condition of players, so that they also play games, apart from the physical exercise only," he said.

Aside from that, the coordination and communication among the team members should be conducted more effectively and smoothly, Liestiadi cited.

In addition, the national team members also conducted the game play correction which is aimed at making some elementary analysis, Liestiadi said, explaining that communication is much needed in the soccer play.

Prior to the match against Iran, there are still three weeks of the team preparation, he said.

Regarding the PSSI request on the postponement of the national team against Iran, FIFA rejected the request.

In the meantime, the organizing committee of trial match between the senior soccer team against the national team under the age of 23 years (U-23) scheduled on August 18, had provided 23,000 entry tickets, Paulus Haryoto, coordinator of the trial match organizing committee said in Solo on Sunday, adding that the Solo Manahan stadium has 24,000 seats capacity.

According to Paulus, the organizing committee in cooperation with the trial match central committee has anticipated the abundance of spectators on the trial match which will take place on August 18, 2011.

The organizing committee of the trial match between the senior soccer team against the national team under the age of 23 years

(U-23) scheduled on August 18, had provided 23,000 entry tickets, Paulus Haryoto, coordinator of the trial match organizing committee said in Solo on Sunday, adding that the Solo Manahan stadium has 24,000 seats capacity.

According to Paulus, the organizing committee in cooperation with the trial match central organizing committee has anticipated the abundance of spectators on the trial match which will take place on August 18, 2011.

The anticipation is made due to the Solo extraordinary public interest to look on the national team appearances in the trial match.

In addition to providing 23,000 entry tickets, the organzing committee will also install the monitoring screens at four points in the stadium in anticipation of the great number of audience who fail to get the tickets, Paulus said.

The prices of entry tickets for the trial match at the north and south stands sold Rp15.000 per ticket with 10 thousand pieces provided. The east stand ticket price is Rp20 thousand per piece with 10 thousand pieces provided.

The ticket price at the VIP west stand is Rp30 thousand per ticket with 2,450 sheets are provided.

Meanwhile, the number of VIP tickets at the midwest stand reached 1,150 sheets at the price of Rp50 thousand per ticket.

In a bid to secure the international match level, Paulus said, the organizing committee will deploy some 600 security personnel. (*)

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Reporter: Bustanuddin
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011