Southeast Asian fans debate intensely over Indonesia's dismissal of coach Patrick Kluivert

16/10/2025 14:33:00 pandatv

Southeast Asian fans hold mixed views about the Indonesian Football Association’s termination of coach Patrick Kluivert.

On October 16, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) officially announced the termination of coach Patrick Kluivert and his coaching staff following defeats in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Specifically, the team from the archipelago suffered two consecutive losses against Saudi Arabia and Iraq, thereby ending their dream of reaching the world’s biggest football tournament.

The "parting" between PSSI and the Dutch coach quickly attracted significant attention from fans across Southeast Asia. On the Asean Football page, many contrasting comments were shared:

"Patrick Kluivert's mission is complete. That mission was to ruin Indonesian football."

"His contract with Indonesia was nothing but a joke."

"Bring Shin Tae Yong back to lead the team."

"If coach Shin Tae Yong refuses to return, then invite coach Park Hang Seo."

"The whole Indonesian population will once again be joyful, excited, and eager to watch Indonesian football; enthusiasm and hope will rise even more if Shin Tae Yong returns to unlock the secrets of the Indonesian team."

"A huge loss for PSSI — eliminated and still having to pay compensation to Kluivert."

"Hopefully, coach Patrick Kluivert will come to lead the Malaysian national team."

"It’s likely that all naturalized players will leave as well. Without the World Cup, they have no reason to stay in Indonesia."

"Thank you, coach Patrick Kluivert. As a supporter of the Indonesian team, I truly appreciate your contributions," one of the few Indonesian fans expressed gratitude to the Dutch coach.

The split between Indonesia and coach Patrick Kluivert had been predicted by the local media. Recently, many experts from the archipelago have suggested new candidates for the "hot seat," with coach Park Hang Seo receiving special attention.

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