Indonesia’s New Faces Shine as Hector Souto Praises Team’s Growth

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s national futsal team coach Hector Souto has praised the performance of his squad’s newcomers at the ASEAN Futsal Championship 2026, saying they have proven capable of competing against strong regional opponents.

“We can trust them. When given the opportunity, their talent comes through and they compete very well. Congratulations to all of them,” Hector said in an official statement on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia advanced to the semifinals as Group B winners after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Australia, finishing the group stage with nine points from three matches.

Hector’s squad featured several fresh faces, including Andarias Kareth (Fafage Banua), Piter Junior (Blacksteel Papua), Dipo Arrahman (Pangsuma FC Kalbar), Rizky Fauzan (Fafage Banua), and Adityas Priambudi (Blacksteel Papua).

The coach expressed gratitude to the Indonesian Futsal Federation (FFI) for trusting him to bring in new players. He noted that with proper preparation, the younger talents have shown they can hold their own against international competition.

“Qualifying as group winners is very meaningful -- it opens a new future for Indonesian players,” Hector said.

Reflecting on the Australia match, Hector described it as evenly balanced, with both sides creating chances. He highlighted Australia’s strength in set pieces and powerful shooting, given that some of their futsal players also play football.

“Overall, I think we competed well. We were organized in many situations, though in the last 10 minutes we made some unnecessary passing errors,” he admitted.

Hector credited his players’ consistency to focused training sessions, which were divided daily into specific drills for defense, set pieces, power plays, and attacking. “With only about two hours of training time, it’s not easy to cover everything. So I’m very satisfied with their performance,” he said.

He also thanked clubs for supporting the national team by releasing their players. “Clubs are investing more in coaching staff, and the quality of coaches is improving. That is our future, and it’s the direction of our strategy,” Hector concluded.

Indonesia’s progress under Hector reflects not only tactical discipline but also the successful integration of new talent, strengthening hopes for a deeper run in the championship. ***