Football Tribe Indonesia
The new era of the Indonesian national football team is unfolding step by step. New horizons stretch and a brighter future await in the hands of Shin Tae-yong as the Korean is set to become new Garuda coach.
As reported by Goal.com Steve Han via Twitter (@realstevescores) Shin will be contracted for three years from 2020 by the PSSI, and will bring in his assistants from his 2018 World Cup campaign – goalkeeper coach Kim Hae-won and fitness coach Lee Jae-hong. Additionally, Korea U-20 assistant coach Gong Oh-kyun will also join Shin’s backroom staff.
Shin is also looking for another assistant to focus on coaching Indonesia’s defending. The 49-year-old coach is looking for strong back up from his assistants as they will take charge of the U-20, U-23 and senior sides starting in 2020. Fitness coach Lee Jae-hong is one of the assistants that Steve highlights, because he comments that Lee has a great depth of knowledge and expertise, and can make a profound impact on Indonesian football. Shin will try to rebuild Indonesian players’ fitness levels as he promised in front of PSSI executives when he presented his plan for the Garuda.
Shin now must focus to prepare a team for the main goal, which is to shine in at the U-20 World Cup in 2021 on home soil. He will also prepare the U-23 and the senior team for upcoming events including the rest of the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, and the AFF Cup at the of 2020.
It’s not the first time that PSSI made a decision to prepare one coach to take charge of many different levels. Previously Luis Milla also managed the senior and U-22 sides, especially for the 2018 Asian Games. With today’s PSSI decision left a big question mark of Indra Sjafri’s future as the U-23 national team coach after the incredible 2019 SEA Games’ campaign that he had.
The all-Korean backroom staff will represent a first in Indonesian football because it has become a tradition that always one local assistant to accompany a foreign coach. This includes Yeyen Tumena in Simon McMenemy’s era, Bima Sakti in Luis Milla’s era or Widodo C. Putro in Alfred Riedl’s era. Shin’s intervention in this tradition may have a large effect on Indonesian football for the upcoming years, and I hope it’s for the better.