The much-anticipated 2025 Shopee Cup ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) draw is set to take place on Friday, July 4, with clubs across Southeast Asia awaiting their fate. However, Indonesia’s representatives have only just been confirmed following internal deliberations and adherence to existing league regulations.
In a press statement on Thursday, President Director of PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB), Ferry Paulus, clarified the selection process behind Indonesia’s participants for both Asian and ASEAN-level competitions, stressing that decisions were based on the league’s regulations and agreements between all participating Liga 1 clubs.
“The league has already determined [the selections] in accordance with the regulations and collective agreements of all clubs. For AFC tournaments, we prioritize rankings 1 and 2—Persib Bandung and Dewa United—based on the coefficient rankings,” said Ferry.
With Indonesia’s AFC berths already awarded to Persib and Dewa United, attention turned to the Shopee Cup ACC 2025, Southeast Asia’s premier club competition. According to Ferry, the clubs ranked third and fourth in the final Liga 1 standings—Malut United and Persebaya Surabaya—have officially been selected to represent the country.
“For the Shopee Cup ACC 2025, we have appointed the third and fourth-ranked teams in Liga 1. This decision is not arbitrary; it follows our regulations and the consensus reached by all stakeholders involved,” added Ferry.
Ferry further revealed that the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) had formally reached out to the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) regarding Indonesia’s entries. Upon receiving the inquiry, LIB and PSSI finalized and submitted the official registration of Malut United and Persebaya to the AFF in accordance with the tournament’s entry criteria.
“The AFF sent a letter to PSSI inquiring about the participating clubs. Based on that, we confirmed and submitted the two names as per the Shopee Cup’s official circular,” said Ferry.
This selection gives Malut United, a rapidly rising club, a golden opportunity to showcase its talents on the regional stage, while Persebaya, one of Indonesia’s most historic teams, returns to continental relevance with ambitions of making a deep run.
As the official draw on July 4 approaches, fans across the archipelago will be watching closely, eager to see who their clubs will face in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ACC tournaments yet.
Credit Photo : Detik
