What Dutch media say about coach Kluivert's dismissal

Top sports outlets in the Netherlands showed different responses following Patrick Kluivert's sacking as Indonesia's head coach.

After a series of disappointing matches in the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) officially terminated coach Patrick Kluivert's contract.

Immediately following the announcement, Southeast Asian media expressed great surprise at PSSI's decision. Moreover, this news also provoked reactions from European newspapers, including those in the Netherlands, Kluivert's home country.

Accordingly, the Algemeen Dagblad responded with the headline "Patrick Kluivert forced to leave Indonesia after missing the World Cup".

Meanwhile, the Voetbal International briefly stated "Kluivert departs Indonesia". This publication also recounted the journey of the 49-year-old coach with the Indonesian team: "Patrick Kluivert was appointed head coach of Indonesia in early January, aiming to lead the team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. However, after six qualifying matches, his contract with PSSI was officially terminated by mutual agreement, as announced.

In his debut match, Indonesia suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat to Australia but quickly recovered with two consecutive wins against Bahrain and China. Nonetheless, a crushing 0-6 loss to Japan left the team in fourth place in the third qualifying round, enough to advance to the fourth round. In this stage, Indonesia lost consecutively to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, ending their World Cup dream in a regrettable manner."

Additionally, the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting bluntly stated the harsh reality with the headline: "Kluivert parts ways as head coach of the Indonesian national team after the squad fails to qualify for the World Cup".

Nederlandse Omroep Stichting wrote: "Patrick Kluivert has officially stepped down as head coach of Indonesia. According to PSSI, this decision was made by mutual agreement with the Dutch coach.

The dismissal came after a 0-1 loss to Iraq in the World Cup qualifiers, which officially ended Indonesia's chances of participating in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Prior to that, the team also lost 2-3 to Saudi Arabia in the same qualification round.

His assistants, Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat, have also left the team. The trio was appointed earlier this year."

For his part, coach Patrick Kluivert personally apologized to Indonesian fans after failing to help the Southeast Asian representative qualify for the 2026 World Cup. He had already left Indonesia to return to the Netherlands before the dismissal was officially announced today (October 16).

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