Time for Blame Game

Malaysia has dashed our hopes by thrashing us with 3-0 victory on Sunday in Bukit Jalil, Malaysia. Despite laser beam incident, they have played a good game, while our team not in their best performance. Then to whom must we blame on? We direly need a scapegoat now.

First, I will blame on PSSI (Indonesia's Soccer Union). They not only fail to deliver well tickets to the soccer fans, but to treat the players in professional way as well. We don't understand why the team must attend some not-related-with-final-game-preparation events such as bonus giving from businessman-cum-politician, Aburizal Bakrie until mass praying, called istighosah, at Islamic boarding school.

Second, the blame goes to … us. Quite a few of us treat the player as if they have won the tournament. On TV we see the fans scrambling to the players, asking for their signatures or taking some photographs with them. It is too-early adulation since Indonesia has already three times come to final but never won. Accordingly they don't deserves any admiration yet.

TV reporters have also contributed impairing the players' concentration. They interview them in any place and any time. Tina Talisa of TVOne aggressively interviewed Christian Gonzales and Irfan Bachdim, even in the plane en route to Malaysia. She might think it was a journalistic achievement. Yikes!

Winning this tournament is very important to us. It will give us nation's pride if we win. But in contrast it can also add insult to our injury, particularly when we meet Malaysia.

There is still second leg of final and it will be an uphill task for the players to win. "At best, the probability of winning is as low as 10%", said Indonesia's coach, Alfred. Even if it must be mission impossible to hold the trophy, our players should be emboldened to try hard. And at last, we do need a miracle!