Egy Maulana Vikri was injured so he was not brought to the match of the Indonesian National Team against Australia in the continuation of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
The news about Egy Maulana who will be left in Jakarta was conveyed by the General Chairman of All Indonesia Football Association, Erick Thohir, at the office of the Ministry of SOEs, Jakarta, Friday (14/3) afternoon.
“So they entered the 30-player slot, unfortunately Egy was injured so 29 went to Australia, and later 23 players will be selected again,” said Erick.
Previously, All Indonesia Football Association released a list of 27 players who will face Australia on March 20 and Bahrain on March 25. Egy’s name is on the list.
In addition to the 27 players, there are three players on the waiting list, namely Emil Audero, Joey Pelupessy, and Dean James who were still waiting for the final results of their naturalization a few days ago.
“The three naturalized players are confirmed ready to face Australia, but of course because the registration is 29 players, meaning 30 because 1 is injured [Egy], of course the selection depends on the coaching staff who decides,” said Erick.
Without Egy, the Indonesian National Team still has several players who can play as wingers such as Marselino Ferdinan, Ragnar Oratmangoen, Ole Romeny, and Rafael Struick.
Some of the Indonesian National Team players will leave on Saturday (15/3) and the rest on Sunday (16/3). Players who play in foreign leagues will leave directly for Australia without transiting in Indonesia.
The Indonesian National Team is strengthened by more players who play abroad than Australia ahead of the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
Australia has just announced a list of 26 players for two matches against Indonesia and China, Friday (14/3). Of the names called, coach Tony Popovic called 16 overseas players and 10 players who play in the Australian league.
The Indonesian national team will face Australia with a mission to achieve positive results in order to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The clash between the two teams will take place at the Sydney Football Stadium.