Memories of Rivals (1): Iraq Reveals Bribery in the Indonesian National Team

Since 1968, Indonesia has had a duel with Iraq. Defeating Iraq in the first meeting, "Garuda" has been powerless since the 1970s. In fact, the issue of bribery could overshadow Indonesia's defeat.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Memori Rival (1): Irak Membuka Tabir Suap di Timnas Indonesia

ARSIP KOMPAS

Kompas News edition of 18 January 1968 regarding Indonesia's first duel against Iraq in the 1968 Mexico Olympic Qualification.

The match against Iraq on Monday (15/1/2023) at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar, will mark Indonesia's journey in the 2023 Asian Cup. The "Garuda" team has waited for 17 years to compete again on the Asian football stage.

Indonesia only has a span of two months to face off against Iraq, the "Mesopotamia Lion", again. Previously, Rizky Ridho and his friends were crushed by Iraq, 1-5, in the first match of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in Basra, Iraq, in November of 2023.

Although on paper Iraq may have better quality than Shin Tae-yong's proteges, it shouldn't undermine the morale of Garuda's squad before the match. Moreover, the target of reaching the round of 16, which Indonesia is pursuing, makes the points from the match against Iraq obligatory or "fardu" in Indonesian.

If we look at the history of Indonesia's meetings with Iraq, the match between the two teams can be traced back to January 16, 1968. At that time, Indonesia met Iraq in the Mexico 1968 Olympic Qualification in Bangkok, Thailand.

Also read: Qualifying the Top 16 of the Asian Cup, is Indonesia's target realistic?

In the first meeting, Indonesia secured a 2-1 victory against Iraq. The goals contributed by Peng Hong and Soetjipto "Gareng" Soentoro solidified Indonesia's superiority over Iraq at that time.

In the second match of the same event which was held approximately one week later, on January 22, 1968, Indonesia held a strong 1-1 draw with Iraq. Although they failed to advance to the final round of the Olympics, the result shows that Garuda still possesses a level that can compete at the continental level.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Indonesia becomes the champion after crushing Iraq 3-0 (0-0) in the final of the Independence Cup Tournament in Senayan, Jakarta, on Sunday (3/9/2000) evening. The victory earned Indonesia a championship trophy and a cash prize of 40,000 US dollars. Iraq, as the runner-up, received 20,000 US dollars. Meanwhile, the third and fourth rankings, Myanmar and Taiwan, both received 5,000 US dollars.

Five years have passed, Iraq has shown rapid development. On the contrary, the quality of Indonesian football growth tends to stagnate. This was proven by Indonesia's 2-3 defeat against Iraq in the 1974 World Cup Qualifying tournament in March 1973. Goals from Sarman Panggabean and substitute player, Anjas Asmara, were unsuccessful in helping Indonesia avoid defeat.

In reality, the first Indonesian team to suffer defeat from Iraq cannot be underestimated. They are players who are still considered legends of the Garuda squad, such as Ronny Paslah, Rusdi Bahalwan, Sutan Harhara, Ronny Pattinasarany, Jacob Sihasale, Iswadi Idris, and Abdul Kadir.

The last two players are still at the top of the list of players with the most caps and goals for the Indonesian national team. Iswadi, who also carries the captain's armband, in the 1970s recorded 97 appearances and 55 goals. Meanwhile, Kadir alias "The Kancil" scored 70 goals in 111 matches.

Helpless

Since its defeat in the 1974 World Cup Qualifiers, Indonesia has been unable to keep up with Iraq. Garuda suffered two losses in their two meetings during the Merdeka Games editions in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Firstly, Indonesia fell, 0-2, on July 17, 1977 in the 1977 Merdeka Games. Exactly one year later, Indonesia suffered another defeat, but with a more overwhelming score of 0-4, against Iraq in Kuala Lumpur at the 1978 Merdeka Games.

Also read: 2023 Asian Cup Group Review (1): Three Champions Take the Champion's Path

Losing four goals without reply at the 1978 Merdeka Games was considered a surprising result. In several reports during that time, many people lost their bets in gambling houses as they predicted Indonesia would lose by a maximum margin of two goals.

The final score seemed to indicate a disparity in quality between Indonesia and Iraq. However, in terms of quality at the time, Indonesia and Iraq were equally matched. The Secretary General of the Iraq Football Association (IFA), Thamir Mihsin, praised Indonesia as a team with good cooperation after the match.

ARSIP KOMPAS

Kompas news about the alleged bribery case that emerged during Indonesia's defeat to Iraq at the 1978 Merdeka Games.

Besides being criticized in the country, the defeat against Iraq has also revealed a suspicion of bribery that has affected the Indonesian national team players for the first time. The allegations came from two players from Semarang who claimed that there were several players who wanted Garuda to "lose".

Based on the Kompas report entitled "How Did the Bribery Issue Start?" published in Thursday's edition (10/8/1978), the player admitted that the Indonesian game was being damaged from within the team. The invitation to give in appears before the players enter the field.

"There are our players who want us to lose. I was asked to do it, right before entering the field. Of course I don't want to. "I came here to win," said one of the players to Kompas.

Also read: 2023 Asian Cup Group Review (2): Maximum Two ASEAN Teams Advance to Top 16

Another player chimed in, "Indeed our game is being damaged from within."

Not only players, officials from the Indonesian national team also admitted to knowing about a player who was involved in bribery to manipulate the outcome of the match. The official revealed that someone who is a member of the Indonesian squad's family offered something for the player to agree to lose. It was not just a small offer, as he even gave business cards to the players he negotiated with if they changed their minds and were interested in accepting the offer.

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

Captain of the Iraqi football team, Younis Mahmoud, lifted the trophy of the Asia Cup 2007 football tournament after Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final match at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Sunday (29/7/2007).

The alleged bribery also prompted Iswadi to comment. Iswadi hopes for PSSI's firmness in taking strict action against bribe takers who damage Indonesia's national football, especially the Indonesian national team.

Someone has admitted it, right, that means it's easy to solve it. The PSSI leadership just had to confront the two people with the player in question. If it's true, I would really appreciate it if PSSI took action against it.

"Someone has admitted it, right,that means it's easy to solve it. The PSSI leadership just had to confront the two people with the player in question. "If it's true, I would really appreciate it if PSSI took action against it," said Iswadi, responding to the initial news of the alleged bribery, mid-July, in Kompas's Monday edition (24/7/1978).

However, what happened was that the alleged bribery case never became clear and thoroughly investigated. It is not surprising that since the Merdeka Games in 1978, the development of Indonesian and Iraqi football has been like night and day.

Also read: Reaching the Asian Cup, "Garuda" Ends 15 Year Wait

In the 1980s, Iraq had their golden era. The Mesopotamian lions were able to appear three times in the Olympic finals in 1980, 1984, and 1988. They also accompanied South Korea as Asia's representatives in the 1986 World Cup.

Despite Iraq experiencing political uncertainty after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, Indonesia has yet to be able to compete with Iraq. In three official meetings since the turn of the millennium, Indonesia has always suffered defeat.

Before collapsing in Basra last November, Garuda suffered consecutive defeats in two clashes in the Asia Cup 2015 Qualifiers. After losing 0-1 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in February 2013, Indonesia also fell in the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta, with a score of 0-2 in November 2013.

TIM MEDIA PSSI

Indonesia coach Shin Tae-yong (center, wearing a hat) gave instructions to his players during a training session ahead of the 2023 Asia Cup on Monday (25/12/2023) in Antalya, Turkey.

Indonesia registered a 3-0 victory against Iraq in the final of the Independence Cup 2000. However, the match cannot be used as a measure of Iraq's actual quality as they did not send their best squad.

The meeting in the 2023 Asia Cup is actually a statement of the improvement in Indonesia's quality after being trained for almost four years by South Korean coach, Shin Tae-yong.

At least if it can hold off Iraq, Garuda deserves to puff up its chest to say that there has been an improvement in quality. However, if we lose again, yesour quality will be left behind in Asia.