On the afternoon of January 6th, the Indonesian Football Association officially announced that the head coach of the Indonesian national football team, Shin Tae-yong, has been relieved of his duties.
Shin Tae-yong's departure came as a surprise, despite leading the team to an away loss against China in the top 18 qualifiers. Considering Indonesia's strength, earning six points in the first six rounds was considered a decent performance. It is understood that the catalyst for Shin Tae-yong's dismissal is related to the recently concluded ASEAN Cup football tournament. The Indonesian team, mainly composed of U22 players, performed poorly. After defeating Myanmar in the first round of the group stage, they were held to a 3-3 draw by Laos and subsequently lost to Vietnam and the Philippines, failing to advance from the group stage. After the match, Shin Tae-yong faced some criticism. Indonesian media believed that fielding a young team wasted a valuable opportunity for preparation.
With Shin Tae-yong's departure, three coaches from the five opponents in the national team's World Cup qualifiers have now changed. Australia was the first to make a change. Last September, their coach, Arnold, was sacked after only managing one draw and one loss in the first two rounds of the top 18 qualifiers. Next was Saudi Arabia's coach, Mancini, who left after achieving one win, two draws, and one loss in the first four rounds of the qualifiers.
After Shin Tae-yong's departure, it remains uncertain who will take over. It is understood that the Indonesian Football Association hopes to hire world-class coach Louis van Gaal, but at 73 years old and battling serious illness, he stepped down from coaching after leading the Netherlands to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and currently holds only a ceremonial position at Ajax. Therefore, it will not be easy for the Indonesian Football Association to secure his services.
Source: Beijing Daily Sports
Reporter: Li Li