TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian national team is at risk of losing forward Ole Romeny when they play friendly matches against Kuwait and Lebanon in September. These two matches are designed to prepare for the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone, scheduled for the following month.
Indonesian national team manager Sumardji said that Ole Romeny is likely to miss the two friendlies. "I'm not sure about September," he said when speaking to the media at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK) in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, after the Indonesian U-23 national team defeated Brunei Darussalam in the opening match of Group A of the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship, as quoted by Antara.
Ole Romeny suffered a serious injury after a harsh tackle by Arema FC player Paulinho Moccelin while playing for Oxford United in the pre-season tournament of the 2025 President's Cup, which just concluded in Jakarta and Bandung on Sunday, July 13.
Furthermore, Sumardji also doubts Ole Romeny's availability to strengthen the Indonesian national team in the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which will be played in October. "It's a bit difficult to answer. Let's hope Ole can play in the fourth round," he said.
Ole Romeny has been a key player in Indonesia's attacking line. Since making his debut on March 20, 2025, in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he has played in four matches and scored three goals.
When asked about the possibility of Jens Raven, a forward for the Indonesian U-23 national team, replacing Ole Romeny in that match, Sumardji said that the quality of both players is still far apart.
He noted that Jens Raven's success in scoring six goals in the victory against Brunei Darussalam cannot be a measure of his quality because the opponents were non-seeded teams in the 2025 AFF U-23 Cup. In this group stage, there are still the Philippines and Malaysia to face.
"It's too far. We shouldn't judge based on the previous match because we still have to face the Philippines, who have just defeated Malaysia, and then we will face Malaysia," Sumardji said.
The Indonesian national team will compete against five other teams—Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman—in the fourth round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the Asian zone. The group stage draw is scheduled to take place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. local time.
Editor's Choice: Indonesia Defeats Brunei Darussalam 8-0 in 2025 AFF U-23 Cup
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