Indonesian U-17 national team coach Nova Arianto emphasized the importance of a smooth transition to the new coach's leadership, while also emphasizing that character and mental development of young players must remain the main foundation of the national team program.
He made this statement at a press conference following a friendly match between the Indonesian U-17 national team and the Chinese U-17 national team at the Indomilk Arena Stadium in Tangerang Regency on Wednesday. Nova's squad lost 2-3.
"These two games will be a resource for the new U-17 national team coach (Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto) to observe the team, see where our level is, and what needs to be improved," Nova said.
According to him, the sustainability of the program is key to maintaining medium-term targets such as the AFF U-17 Cup, the U-17 Asian Cup, and the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup.
Nova himself has received a new responsibility, namely becoming the coach of the U-20 national team.
"We hope this transition period goes smoothly and that our tradition of qualifying for the World Cup can be achieved," he said.
