Coach Shin Tae-yong criticized the training ground of U20 Indonesia

On February 26, Indonesia practiced at Pakhtakor Stadium, but the grass here was not flat, the place was dry, and the sand was exposed. Coach Shin Tae-yong was not satisfied and complained to the local organizers.

"I don't understand why this happened, because this is an Asian tournament," coach Shin Tae-yong told CNN Indonesia. "I can't imagine we have to train in such conditions."

Indonesia was then arranged to switch to practice at the JAR stadium also in the capital Taskent, but this field was not better. Assistant Nova Arianto said the poor quality of grass and pitch affected the team's training program. As of today, February 28, Indonesia has been able to practice the Lokomotiv main stadium.

Indonesia in Group A meets hosts Uzbekistan, Iraq and Syria all on the pitches in Taskent. Tomorrow, March 1, Mr. Shin's teachers and students will play the opening match against Iraq at 19:00, Hanoi time.

Like Indonesia, Iraq also complained about the yard. But while not being met with a better pitch, coach Ema Mohammed asked his students to practice carefully on a bad pitch, which can lead to injury.

Before the 2023 AFC U-20 Championship, Uzbekistan hosted the Asian U23 Championship in June 2022. At that time, the playing field and training ground had good quality grass. The current bad pitch is due to the very cold climate in Uzbekistan, sometimes ranging from 3 to 16 degrees Celsius during the day. This is considered a barrier to countries in West Asia or Southeast Asia, making it more difficult for players to adapt.

Indonesia and Vietnam are the two Southeast Asian representatives attending the final round. Indonesia is also sure to get a ticket to the FIFA U20 World Cup in May because it is the host country.