Indonesia, which appointed coach Patrick Kluivert, suffered a humiliation by conceding 5 goals in a struggle.

Despite using many naturalized players, the Indonesian national football team realized the void left by former coach Shin Tae-yong, suffering a heavy loss of 1-5 in the 7th match of Group C in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North and Central America qualifiers against Australia at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, on the 20th (Korean time).

In the third round of qualifiers to determine the teams advancing to the World Cup, Indonesia was grouped in C with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and China. After 6 matches, they recorded 1 win, 3 draws, and 2 losses, accumulating 6 points and ranking 3rd in the group, but made the mistake of sacking Shin Tae-yong and appointing Patrick Kluivert as coach.

There was much debate about the surprising dismissal of former coach Shin Tae-yong, who had been performing well. Claims of conflict with the Indonesian Football Association arose, alongside various controversies. Some argued that Indonesia, which was focusing on naturalized players, wanted coach Kluivert, who had a stellar reputation during his playing days.

Literally a betrayal. After being appointed as Indonesia's head coach in 2020, Shin led the growth of Indonesian football by also overseeing the youth teams. He had achieved the runner-up position in the 2020 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup and reached the semifinals in the 2022 AFF Mitsubishi Cup.

Despite this, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) abruptly decided to dismiss coach Shin Tae-yong last January. At the time, the association stated, "This decision was made after a long and careful consideration and evaluation regarding the team's performance and its long-term goals. PSSI thanks everyone who contributed to the development of the Indonesian national football team and wishes coach Shin Tae-yong all the best in his future endeavors."

Along with the appointment of coach Kluivert, Indonesia welcomed Jordi Cruyff as a technical advisor last month. Jordi Cruyff is the son of legendary Dutch forward Johan Cruyff. Coach Shin had maintained a philosophy of balancing pure Indonesian players and naturalized players while leading the national team.

However, recently the Indonesian national team is shifting towards being predominantly composed of Dutch naturalized players. The recent national team roster included a large number of naturalized players, narrowing the space for existing pure players. Ultimately, the decision to actively recruit naturalized players while seeking performance led to the inclusion of well-known figures from the Netherlands.

However, the absence of a unified team spirit led to a poor performance. As a result of the heavy loss, Indonesia fell to the bottom in goal difference. Under coach Kluivert, the naturalized players were severely shaken by Australia's onslaught. They conceded the opening goal to Boyle in the 18th minute of the first half and followed it up with another goal to Baccus in the 20th minute.

Additionally, they allowed a third goal to Ervin in the 34th minute of the first half, effectively sealing their defeat early. In the 61st minute, Miller finished off Goodwin's cross with a header, scoring the final goal. Indonesia managed to net a consolation goal through Romani, who received a pass from Diks in the 78th minute, but that was all. They even conceded another goal to Ervin during stoppage time, ending the match with a heavy defeat of 1-5.

Could it be a punishment for dismissing coach Shin Tae-yong without understanding the issues? During Shin's tenure, Indonesia managed to draw 0-0 at home against Australia, but with naturalized players and a new coach, they collapsed, placing themselves in a grim situation from the start.

Meanwhile, while coach Shin Tae-yong was ousted by the Indonesian Football Association, he continues to express love for his players.

On the 16th, Shin visited PAT Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. He watched the match between Port FC and Bangkok United. The reason for watching the match between Port and Bangkok was that players from the national team he coached were active in the game.

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