"I will continue to cheer for the Indonesia national team with a glad heart."

Coach Shin Tae-yong promised unwavering support for Indonesian football, which dismissed him.

On the 20th (Korean time), Indonesia suffered a crushing 1-5 defeat to Australia in the 7th match of Group C in the Asian region's 3rd qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup held at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

As a result, Indonesia's chances of advancing to the World Cup have diminished significantly, dropping to 5th place in the group. If Bahrain or China had only secured 1 point, Indonesia could have sunk to last place. Currently, Indonesia, Bahrain, and China are tied with 6 points, forming the lowest tier.

This match marked the first official game under coach Patrick Kluivert. Indonesia received much anticipation by registering many naturalized players from the Netherlands. In fact, for this match, a remarkable 10 out of the starting 11 players were naturalized players.

However, Indonesia displayed the worst performance. A critical mistake in allowing an excellent opportunity for the first goal early in the match became disastrous. In the 7th minute of the first half, Raphael Struijk earned a penalty kick. However, the shot taken by the kicker Kevin Diks hit the right goalpost.

After overcoming the crisis, Australia surged forward fiercely. In the 16th minute of the first half, Indonesian defense tripped Australian striker Adam Taggart, leading to a penalty kick. Unlike Indonesia, Martin Boyle of Australia scored accurately to make it 1-0.

After conceding a goal, Indonesia began to falter rapidly. Within 2 minutes, they allowed another goal, and by the 35th minute of the first half, they conceded a third goal amidst confusion on the field. Their focus in defense led to continuously giving the ball to their opponents.

Indonesia conceded 3 goals in the first half. The second half was not much different. Coach Kluivert hastily brought in more naturalized players, but it was of no use. They conceded twice from corner kicks, lowering their heads in defeat. Fortunately, in the dying moments of the second half, Ole Romani scored, capitalizing on a mistake by the opponent.

Coach Shin Tae-yong also watched the match with fans. He participated in a group cheering event held in Jakarta to support his former players. It is said that he had to run 1 kilometer due to traffic jams and arrived around the end of the first half.

Nevertheless, Coach Shin Tae-yong continued to communicate with fans, taking photos and greeting them. He urged Indonesian fans during halftime to keep cheering as there were still 45 minutes and upcoming matches left.

Coach Shin Tae-yong also continued to express his affection for Indonesian football. He said, "In my heart, there is always Indonesia and the Indonesian people," and added, "We must all unite to support the national team."

He did not forget the players he had shared ups and downs with. Coach Shin Tae-yong acknowledged that these players are his "children" and added, "I will continue to cheer for the Indonesia national team with a glad heart."

Indonesian fans also miss Coach Shin Tae-yong. Fans who traveled a long way to Australia cheered for him after the final whistle sounded, sending a protest message to the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), which effectively dismissed him, and its chairman, Erick Thohir.

Indonesia's 'Sindonews' explained, "As Indonesia suffered humiliation against Australia, Shin Tae-yong's name echoed," noting that "his name was mentioned over 11,000 times on social media."

'CNN Indonesia' also pointed out that "with the appointment of coach Kluivert, expectations were high that the total philosophy he established during his time with the Netherlands national team would be passed on. However, there was no sign of it in the match against Australia." According to the media, one fan criticized, "It's not total football, it's total failure."

Particularly, voices of criticism directed at Chairman Thohir are rising. He encouraged support, stating that there was still a chance despite the loss, but fans' responses were cold. They questioned why such support was not shown during Coach Shin Tae-yong's time. One fan stated, "Under Coach Shin Tae-yong, fans' support and positive energy came together. It was you, Thohir, who broke that unity. Changing the coach after beating Saudi Arabia was fatal."

In fact, the dismissal of Coach Shin Tae-yong sparked significant controversy in Indonesia. The PSSI shockingly dismissed Coach Shin Tae-yong in January. At that time, Indonesia was in 3rd place in Group C with 1 win, 3 draws, and 2 losses in the 3rd qualifying round, having even managed a 0-0 draw against Australia, who they brought in as their home opponents.

However, as Indonesia was eliminated in the Mitsubishi Cup with young players, the rift widened. Eventually, Chairman Thohir fired Coach Shin Tae-yong, who had dedicated five years, overnight and immediately appointed Coach Kluivert. At that time, he asserted, "We need a leader who can better execute the strategies agreed upon by the players, communicate better, and implement a better program for the whole team."

The problem is that Coach Kluivert lacks a proper coaching career. He served as an assistant coach to Louis van Gaal for the Netherlands national team during the 2014 Brazil World Cup, but his direct managerial experience is limited to the Curaçao national team and Turkey's Adana Demirspor. Even that ended with him leaving the team after approximately five months in the summer of 2023.

Due to this, fans' concerns were significant, yet Indonesia proceeded with Kluivert's appointment. Some argued that Chairman Thohir made this choice because he wanted additional naturalized players from the Netherlands. In fact, Indonesia naturalized several players, including Emil Audero, Joy Perpetu, and Dean James, all of whom are from Juventus Youth.

Nevertheless, Coach Kluivert could not avoid humiliation from his debut match. The hashtag 'Kluivert OUT' has been continuously trending on social media. There have even been harsh criticisms that Coach Kluivert has completely dismantled the achievements that Coach Shin Tae-yong built over five years.

Nonetheless, Coach Shin Tae-yong defended Coach Kluivert, noting that he likely had little time to prepare for the match. In an interview with 'Kompas', he stated, "The players worked hard. The pressing from the front was very good, but there wasn't much time for training. It seems there were a lot of one-on-one battles. Perhaps that is the cause of this defeat."

He also added, "It’s unfortunate. We shouldn't have conceded from set pieces, but we ended up allowing a large number of goals. Perhaps it was because Coach Kluivert didn't have time to train on set pieces. If we had scored, the momentum would have shifted, and that is regrettable. I felt there was a lack of time."

[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (reprint and redistribution prohibited), Bola, Vietnam News, Indonesian Football Association social media.

[OSEN]