DomainJava .COM – PSSI’s dismissal of Shin Tae-yong from the position of coach of the Indonesian National Team attracted the attention of the South Korean media.
Media IsPlus, in an article released on Tuesday (7/1/2025), discussed the reasons behind this decision and rumors regarding Shin Tae-yong’s replacement.
“President Thohir is believed to have carried out a ‘stab in the back’ considering the increasing number of players of Dutch descent,” wrote the South Korean media.
It is reported that former Barcelona player, Patrick Kluivert, will most likely replace Shin Tae-yong.
In a previous press conference, Erick Thohir confirmed that the new coach was from the Netherlands without directly mentioning Kluivert’s name.
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Fabrizio Romano, a transfer expert, and Spanish media Marca also reinforced this rumor, saying that former Dutch coach, Louis van Gaal, might accompany Kluivert as sporting or technical director.
“The Indonesian national team has recently had players of Dutch descent and coach Shin is trying hard to select high quality players,” continued IsPlus.
IsPlus media criticized Erick Thohir’s move, calling it an unethical action against the backdrop of the increasing number of players of Dutch descent in the Indonesian national team.
The media considers the reason for Shin Tae-yong’s dismissal, especially if it is only based on failure in the 2024 AFF Cup, as an illogical decision.
As a comparison, IsPlus highlighted the process of changing coaches in the South Korean national team when it fired Jurgen Klinsmann, where the federation took five months to appoint a replacement.
Korean media questioned whether PSSI had been planning a change of coach for a long time, considering this fast transition.
Shin Tae Yong fired by PSSI
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has officially ended its collaboration with Shin Tae-yong as coach of the Indonesian National Team.
This was conveyed by the General Chair of PSSI, Erick Thohir, in a press conference regarding the New Plan for the Development of the Indonesian National Team for 2025 on Monday (6/1/2025).
“Coach Shin Tae-yong has received the correspondence, of course there will be a further process regarding our relationship which has ended,” said Erick.
The Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) also expressed his thanks to Shin Tae-yong who has coached the Indonesian National Team since 2019.
According to Erick, this decision had been under consideration since before the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in the Asia Zone, when Indonesia suffered defeat to China. Erick explained that this step was taken for the good of the Indonesian National Team, taking into account game strategy, communication between coaches and players, as well as overall program implementation.
“We see the need for a leader who can better implement the strategy agreed upon by the players,” said Erick.
“Better communication and of course better overall program implementation for the national team,” he added.
Erick emphasized that this decision was taken for the progress of the Indonesian National Team, not based on certain interests.
“This national team belongs to all Indonesian people, not to certain individuals or groups,” he concluded.
