The prestigious and largest youth football tournament in Indonesia, the Garuda International Cup (GIC), is set to return. The 2024 edition of GIC is particularly special.
This year, GIC 2024 will be held just five days after the 79th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. Additionally, GIC 2024 could serve as a scouting opportunity for players for the Indonesian U-17 National Team.
The Indonesian U-17 National Team will compete in the 2025 AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers in Kuwait from October 19-25, 2024. The Garuda Muda squad is placed in Group F along with hosts Kuwait, Australia, and Northern Mariana Islands.
“We are always open with the federation (PSSI) regarding the annual GIC. We welcome any U-17 National Team coaching staff who wish to scout players at GIC 2024,” said Wahyu Budiarto, Project Director of GIC 2024, during a press conference at Hotel Swiss-Belcourt, Bogor, on Friday (August 16).
“Furthermore, we hope that GIC will once again produce players for the Indonesian National Team, as in 2023 when Ji Da Bin, Marselinus Ama Ola, and Meshal Hamzah, who are now in the U-19 National Team under Indra Sjafri, emerged,” added Wahyu.
GIC 2024 is scheduled to take place at ASIOP Training Ground, Sentul, West Java, starting August 22. The matches will run from August 22-25, 2024.
This edition will feature three categories: U-10, U-12, and U-17, expanding from the previous U-12 and U-17 categories. Eight countries will participate: Indonesia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Singapore.
Among the participants is the Chinese giant Guangzhou Evergrande. Also joining are last year’s participants, the Malaysian powerhouse Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), and renowned Japanese club Shonan Bellmare. Not to be missed is the defending U-17 champion, ASIOP.
In the previous edition of GIC, ASIOP Merah was the top team in the U-17 category, while JDT emerged as the champion in the U-12 category.