Shocking news emerged from the Indonesia national team camp on Monday as popular head coach Shin Tae-yong has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.
The decision was announced by the Football Federation of Indonesia (PSSI) in a press conference after rumors started to circulate over the weekend that Tae-yong will receive the chop following Indonesia’s dismal performance in the 2024/25 AFF Championship.
PSSI chairman Erick Thohir did not specify the failure at that tournament as the reason behind Tae-yong’s sacking, citing that his departure was due to “a need for a leader who can better implement the strategies agreed upon by the players.”
Thohir’s words suggested that a rumored rift between Tae-yong and Indonesia’s diaspora players – most of whom are from the Netherlands – was the main reason behind the South Korean’s sacking.
Several critics of Tae-yong did suggest that his pragmatic tactics did not suit the diaspora players who were raised with the more free-flowing style of play that was the norm in Europe, and Tae-yong’s fall-out with highly-rated defender Elkan Baggott was a mere tip of the iceberg regarding the differences of opinion between Tae-yong and the diaspora players.
The fact that Tae-yong had failed to grasp the Indonesian language and can only master little English during his five years in Indonesia also did not help his case.
The press conference also saw Thohir announce that Tae-yong’s successor will be appointed on January 12th, with former Curacao and Adana Demirspor head coach Patrick Kluivert being the heavy favorites to take over the Timnas Garuda.
Despite not winning any major honors, Tae-yong oversaw Indonesia’s biggest rise within the FIFA rankings, as well as qualifying to back-to-back AFC Asian Cups based on merit and taking Indonesia to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers – the furthest Indonesia have been in World Cup qualification.
Tae-yong had also taken Indonesia to the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup – also the furthest Indonesia had gone in the competition – as well as guiding Indonesia into becoming the first Southeast Asian country to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.
Indonesia’s age group squads also felt the fruits of Tae-yong’s hard work, with the U-20s qualifying for the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup and the U-23s blazing their way into the semifinals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, in their first appearance at the tournament no less, and narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
Regardless of the manner of his exit or the circumstances behind it, Tae-yong has already etched himself in Indonesian football folklore as one of the national team’s greatest head coaches, and his achievements will be talked about for years or even generations to come.
As for Thohir, his decision to sack the immensely popular Tae-yong came as a very huge, and risky, gambit. Despite frequently voicing his support towards Tae-yong and his projects, Thohir was actually not quite fond of the South Korean as he was a leftover of the previous PSSI administration under Mochamad Iriawan,
Thohir appointing a big name, European head coach could see his political electability for the 2029 General Elections increase exponentially should the appointment turn out to be a success, but should the new head coach underperform, the gambit could potentially tank any reputation that Thohir has with the Indonesian football fans. Only time will tell whether this drastic decision would pay dividends for Indonesia, but for now, the Timnas Garuda are sailing towards uncharted waters.