The Indonesian National Football Manager eSport Team, led by manager Ichsan Taufiq and assistant manager Manar Hidayat, took the top prize at the FIFAe World Cup Featuring Football Manager 2024 event. The tournament was hosted by FIFAe, the eSport division of association football’s governing body FIFA. It was held in Liverpool, England, from 29 August to 1 September 2024.
The Indonesian Football Manager team outperformed 20 teams from 19 countries to become the tournament’s champions. Labelled as the underdog by many, Ichsan and Manar defied expectations, proving their mettle early on by dominating Group C during the group stages.
During the three-day group stage, each team was tasked with managing Sporting CP in the Football Manager game, aiming to win both the regional league and the Champions League within one in-game season per day. Group C comprised teams from England 1 (the host nation, which fielded two teams), India, France, Poland, and Indonesia. Indonesia led the standings with a total of 364 points, achieving 107 points in the first season, 129 in the second, and 128 in the third. This impressive performance secured the Indonesian team’s advancement to the Final Four.
On the final day, all four qualified teams participated in a player draft selection, followed by two-legged matches, meaning each team played two games per match.
In the semifinals, Indonesia faced England 2, led by manager Arron Falloon and assistant manager Matt Mullen. The first leg ended in a hard-fought 2-2 draw. However, in the second leg, the Indonesian team asserted their dominance, defeating the hosts 3-1 in front of their home crowd, thus advancing to the finals and dashing England’s hopes of a “Football is Coming Home” moment.
In the final, Indonesia met Germany, who had previously defeated South Africa with a stunning 5-1 aggregate score. However, Indonesia surprised their opponents with a 3-0 victory in the first leg. The second leg proved to be a nightmare for Germany, as they struggled to keep up with Indonesia’s relentless performance, eventually losing 5-2, bringing the aggregate score to 8-2. With this result, Indonesia was crowned the inaugural champion of the FIFAe World Cup Featuring Football Manager 2024.
In a post-match interview, manager Ichsan Taufiq expressed his confidence. When the interviewer asked about their expectation before the tournament, Ichsan said that he never doubted their chances.
Q: “kami sebelumnya tidak ada yang tahu tentang tim Indonesia sebelum akhirnya mereka tiba disini, apakah kalian merasa yakin akan selalu menang?”
🗣️ “udah pasti menang sih, king Indo nih bos, senggol dong” 🫵🤣
– @ichsanopiick, aura +999999 🔥🤣 pic.twitter.com/O3StgEMozl— Extra Time Indonesia (@idextratime) September 1, 2024
“We knew we were going to win. We’re King Indo! Touch us (If you dare)!” Ichsan joked in the post-match interview.
This victory adds another prestigious trophy to the Indonesian eSports National Team’s collection, following their win at the AFC eAsian Cup 2023 in the eFootball competition earlier this year.
The Indonesian Anime Times | The original article can be read here
