The reason behind Indonesia's dismissal of coach Patrick Kluivert is now clear.

Through the decision to separate from coach Patrick Kluivert, the Indonesian Football Association is showing its commitment to restarting the national football program with a more sustainable and Indonesia-specific approach.

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) officially announced the termination of the contract with coach Patrick Kluivert and the entire national team coaching staff on October 16, 2025, after just nine months of work. This decision came following Indonesia’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, which triggered increasing criticism from fans.

According to information from PSSI, the contract termination was carried out based on “mutual agreement between both parties”, although initially Kluivert and his Dutch colleagues signed a two-year contract. In the official statement, PSSI emphasized:

“This termination of cooperation was made based on mutual agreement, aimed at revitalizing motivation and redefining strategic directions for the national team’s development in the near future.”

This decision was made just days after Indonesia’s defeats against Iraq (0-1) and Saudi Arabia (2-3) in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, officially ending Indonesia’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.

In the remainder of the announcement, PSSI also expressed gratitude and acknowledged the contributions of Patrick Kluivert and the Dutch coaching staff during their nine months in Indonesia.

“PSSI sincerely appreciates and thanks all members of the coaching staff for their efforts over the past period. However, this decision is part of a comprehensive evaluation and restructuring process for coaching and national football development,” PSSI added.

According to insiders in Jakarta, PSSI is currently planning to find a new coach with deep knowledge of Southeast Asian football, rather than continuing with European coaches as before. The goal is to help the team perform more consistently in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers and aim for the 2026 AFF Cup, where fans have high hopes for a regional title.

Patrick Kluivert’s departure not only reflects the poor results of the Indonesian team in the World Cup qualifiers but also highlights conflicts in development direction between PSSI and the Dutch coaching staff. During his short tenure, Kluivert faced criticism for a lack of distinctive playing style, controversial personnel decisions, and strained relationships with some Indonesian-origin players based in Europe.