Rolex Watches For The Indonesian National Team: Portrait Of The Gap And Political Equipment Of The Elite

JAKARTA The Rolex brand luxury clock that President Prabowo Subianto gave to the organizers of the Indonesian National Team became a polemic.

The Indonesian national team's 1-0 victory over China on matchday nine of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Third Round, Thursday (5/6/2025) was welcomed with joy.

The additional three points are enough to pass the squad made by Patrick Kluivert to advance to round four for the first time. The happiness of Indonesia's victory prompted President Prabowo to invite the players to lunch at his residence on Jalan Kertanegara, South Jakarta, the next day.

At that moment, Prabowo was known to have distributed Rolex branded luxury watches to officials and the ranks of the national team players. One of the national team players who uploaded Prabowo's gift was Justin Hubner, through his Instagram Stories.

The gift of this Rolex watch has become a hot topic of conversation among netizens. On social media, netizens' responses were divided into two. Those who agreed to believe that this was proof of the president's concern for the national team.

As for those who are against it, Prabowo's actions are considered too privileged for football, although his achievements are arguably not as luxurious as other sports.

One of the cons of giving Prabowo's Rolex watch to national team players is former wushu Lindswell Kwok athlete. This 1991-born woman expressed her complaints about the government's gap in attention to athletes in Indonesia via Instagram on June 8.

The woman, nicknamed the queen of Indonesian wushu, said that a number of wushu junior athletes prepared for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games had been sent home suddenly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in March via zoom. The disbandment period was due to budget efficiency.

Even though the children have undergone training for eight months and left school for intensive training.

"The Ministry of Youth and Sports called these children to come to the national training. They sacrificed the school to focus on the national training but were suddenly sent home?" wrote Lindswell Kwok.

"Not because we received appreciation and then we overheated. No. But first look who gave it, President."

"In the period of efficiency, where other sports are ignored. Famous sports and many enthusiasts are noticed," he said.

"And this is just one of the many things experienced by superior sports but not as well as a ball," said the woman from Medan, North Sumatra.

According to Lindswell, the special treatment of football reflects inequality in the national sports budget policy. He said football received a budget of almost Rp 200 billion, while other branches were only in the range of Rp 10-30 billion.

This is not the first time a non-sports athlete has complained about the special treatment of football. During the procession after the 2023 SEA Games, swimmer I Gede Siman Sudartawa assessed that the football branch was too privileged.

This expression began when the procession was delayed because it was waiting for the bus double decker to be boarded by the U-22 national team. In addition, Siman also questioned why the national team squad got a different vehicle than other athletes.

For information, at that time Garuda Muda successfully won gold at the 2023 SEA Games. Meanwhile, Siman nuga contributed gold from swimming number 50 in the men's backstroke at the same event.

The efficiency of the budget in all institutions or ministries is a step taken at the beginning of President Prabowo Subianto's leadership and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, including the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

As a result, Menpora Dito Ariotedjo said there was a budget cut of IDR 1.29 trillion for the implementation of the 2025 work program. From the previous IDR 2.330 trillion, it was reduced to IDR 1.034 trillion.

But Dito emphasized that the government remains committed to efforts to improve sports achievements despite the storm of tightening the budget.

"Certainly the direction is how to prepare athletes for the Asian Games, Olympics, and also World Cup qualifiers not to be disturbed," said Dito.

Prior to the news about Prabowo's giving Rolex watches, the world of sports in the country repeatedly sent unpleasant news. Earlier this year, the Executive Board of the Indonesian Athletics Association had to repatriate national training athletes in Pangalengan, West Java, due to budget efficiency.

Even more heartbreaking, the bodybuilding athletes of Malang Regency were forced to eat tiren chicken yesterday to meet the needs of animal protein. In a day, they said they could spend 1.5 to 2 kilograms of chicken chest. The reason is because there is no funds to buy chickens in good condition.

This news circulated in early May, when they were famous for preparing for the 2025 East Java IX Porprov match which was held in June.

These bitter facts have never been experienced, at least so that is illustrated in society, by the national team players.

This is related to the difference in the amount of assistance from the government to 13 sports that were considered superior in April. Among the 13 leading sports were badminton, shooting, athletics, archery, rowing, weightlifting, judo, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, surfing, aquatics, and football.

The total fund assistance is IDR 420 billion. Citing the Kemenpora page, PSSI which oversees football sports received the most national training funds, almost IDR 200 billion.

Menpora Dito explained that assistance for PSSI was indeed special. Because football is considered a strategic and potentially high sport based on Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 3 of 2019 concerning the Acceleration of National Football Development.

"Based on the Presidential Instruction, PSSI gets a budget not only for national training, but for overall football development," said Menpora Dito.

President Prabowo's royalty to the Indonesian national team was then linked with politics. Many believe that football is used as a political tool by the former Minister of Defense.

The paper entitledPopulism and Sports in Latin America: Old and New Ways of Narrating the Nation (2021) written by Pablo Alabarces said, as football's popularity grew, political elites not only used it as a space to gain visibility or appearance in public, but rather a tool in shaping identity narratives.

To influence local residents to various political agendas, Alabarces said, politicians are increasingly sponsoring various sporting events and tournaments that lead to the birth of local clubs in various cities. This kind of phenomenon grows in Latin America.

By providing financial support to sports teams and sports associations, politicians take advantage of the emotional relationships people have with their favorite players, thus further strengthening their political foothold.

A researcher at the Ganesport Foundation and football observer, Dex Glenniza, said that a country that is too focused on a football national team that is "unachieving" could be a "long-term trap."

"Moreover, seeing other sports is more accomplished," he said.

In the midst of the current situation, a form of support from the political elite, including the president, may be limited to coming to the stadium to watch the match. Regarding the provision of luxury goods, regardless of personal pockets, it can be postponed until the national team really meets the target of qualifying for the World Cup.