Gerald Vanenburg Defies the Debut Curse

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The match between Indonesia and Brunei in the Group A qualifying round of the ASEAN U-23 Championship will unveil the enigma of Gerald Vanenburg. Indonesian football fans will have the opportunity to witness how the Dutch coach showcases his ability to assemble a team. One thing to note is that Vanenburg has always struggled to achieve victory in each of his debut matches as a coach.

Facing Brunei presents an opportunity for Venenburg to break the curse. The match between Indonesia and Brunei will be held at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Tuesday (15/7/2025) at 20:00 WIB. A day before the match, Venenburg has finalized the definitive lineup after conducting a training camp for approximately three weeks in Jakarta.

From the lineup released by PSSI, the names of Marselino Ferdinan and Rafael Struick are absent. These two players were previously touted to strengthen Indonesia in the ASEAN U-23 Championship. Vanenburg stated that Struick and Marcelino did not join the Indonesia U-23 team because their efforts are more needed for the senior team that is competing in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

"In my opinion, the most important thing is about the World Cup. We must be able to qualify for the World Cup. Rafael and Marselino are not here. We have submitted the names and they are not playing here," said Vanenburg at a press conference ahead of the match, Monday (14/7/2025), in Jakarta.

Without Struick, Vanenburg relies on Hokky Caraka, Jens Raven, and Rahmat Arjuna in the front line. The most interesting change occurs in the left-back position. Frengky Missa, who had previously been dropped during the training camp, has suddenly been called up again. According to Vanenburg, Missa returns to replace Mikael Tata, who is unwell and currently undergoing treatment.

Vanenburg attempts to combine experienced players who have represented the national team at the senior level with new names in the U-23 category, such as Jens Raven. Muhammad Ferarri, Hokky, Kadek Arel, and Arkhan Fikri, who have previously competed at the senior level, are expected to serve as good mentors to the other players.

Through the combination of players he has assembled, Vanenburg is optimistic about achieving victory over Brunei while simultaneously ending the curse of debut matches that has overshadowed his career as a coach. Vanenburg's coaching career has indeed been largely spent as an assistant. However, he has been recorded as having been a coach for three teams, namely TSV 1860 Munich, Helmond Sport, and FC Eindhoven.

In handling the three teams, Vanenburg has yet to achieve a victory in his debut matches. While coaching TSV, Vanenburg suffered a 0-1 defeat against Bayern Muenchen. Meanwhile, during his time with Helmund, Vanenburg could only secure a 1-1 draw against MVV Maastricht. Lastly, while managing FC Eindhoven, Vanenburg's debut was marred by a heavy 2-6 loss to FC Volendam.

"Ultimately, everyone will try to give their best in the tournament. We have been training and preparing for quite some time. So I am quite happy that we can finally start competing. Moreover, we are in the same group as Malaysia. We will try to win every match," said Vanenburg.

Indonesia is expected to face little difficulty against Brunei. This is because the team coached by Aminuddin Jumat has not won in their last 24 matches, dating back to 2017. In their two most recent matches, the Brunei U-23 team was unable to put up a fight against Oman and Syria. In the match against Syria, Brunei's goal was a target for scoring, having conceded 11 goals.

Aminuddin is aware that Indonesia benefits from the presence of supporters. He also understands the poor record of the Brunei U-23 team, which makes his team not favored to win. Nevertheless, Aminuddin stated that he is ready to provide the best resistance.

"We are in the same group (Group A) as Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. We are aware of their developments, their quality, and the support they receive during this tournament. Of course, we come here to demonstrate our progress," said Aminuddin.

In addition to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, the ASEAN U-23 Championship is also taking place at the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi, West Java. Only Group A consists of four teams. Group B is occupied by Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Meanwhile, Thailand, Myanmar, and Timor Leste are competing in Group C.

Only the winners of each group qualify directly for the semifinals. One team will be selected from the best runners-up from each of the three groups. "Garuda Muda" won the tournament in 2019 under coach Indra Sjafri. Vietnam holds the most titles with two and will be the defending champions in the 2025 edition.