No new coach yet, Indonesia will not play friendlies in November

The Indonesian national team has no scheduled friendly matches during the November FIFA Days despite their recent drop in FIFA rankings.

After losing two matches in the fourth round of qualifiers and officially ending their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the Indonesian Football Association has dismissed head coach Patrick Kluivert along with all Dutch assistant coaches. This defeat has forced Indonesian football to seriously reconsider its World Cup ambitions despite having added many quality naturalized players to the squad.

Having reached the third round of World Cup qualifiers, Indonesia has already secured a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup early. Therefore, in November, the team does not need to participate in qualifiers like Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam during this period. However, Indonesia also has no plans to arrange friendlies to accumulate FIFA ranking points.

One reason may be that Indonesia has not yet found a new head coach for the national team. As a result, they are not rushing to find opponents for matches during the November FIFA Days. Two consecutive losses to Saudi Arabia (2-3) and Iraq (0-1) caused the team to lose significant ranking points, dropping from 119th to 122nd in the world, while Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia have all improved.

According to Bola, the Indonesian Football Association is currently monitoring four experienced foreign coaches who are either working or have worked in the BRI Super League - Indonesia’s top professional league. Among them, Bojan Hodak (Persib Bandung) and Bernardo Tavares (former PSM Makassar coach) are considered the top candidates for the head coach position.

Croatian coach Bojan Hodak is the leading candidate. Since taking over Persib Bandung in July 2023, he has led the team to two consecutive BRI Liga 1 championships. Known for his disciplined coaching style, ability to develop local players, and balanced approach between defense and attack, Hodak is seen as the ideal choice to stabilize and advance the Indonesian national team.

Portuguese coach Bernardo Tavares is also on PSSI’s radar. Under his leadership, PSM Makassar won the Liga 1 title in the 2022/2023 season, and he was named Coach of the Year. Tavares is highly regarded for his experience managing various teams in Asia and his quick adaptation to Indonesian football culture. Many experts note that his style is quite similar to Shin Tae-yong, who laid the foundation for Indonesia’s youth teams.