Indonesia sacks national football coach Shin Tae-yong

Coach Shin Tae-yong at the press conference before the Vietnam-Indonesia clash in ASEAN Cup on Dec. 14, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

This came as shocking news for Indonesian football fans. PSSI posted the announcement on their official website on Monday.

"The decision was made after careful consideration and comprehensive evaluation by PSSI and the National Team Executive Board. The evaluation process is not only based on the team's performance in the past but also aims at the long-term goals that Indonesian football is pursuing," the announcement read.

"PSSI expressed gratitude and appreciation for the great contributions of coach Shin Tae-yong in building and developing the Indonesian national team. At the same time, PSSI also sent the best wishes to the South Korean coach in the next stage of his career."

In a press conference on Monday, PSSI president Erick Thohir said: "I want to thank coach Shin Tae Yong for his contribution to Indonesian football. My relationship with him is still very good. We are still trying to carry out plans for the development of Indonesian football. However, we feel that we need a coach who can communicate and implement strategies better with the players. Everything I do is for the benefit of the national team.

"Indonesia national team leader Kombes Pol Sumardji had a meeting with coach Shin Tae-yong this morning. PSSI's cooperation with coach Shin has ended. Thank you."

In the past few days, the news of coach Shin’s dismissal has been spreading on social media. However, not many people think it was true, Bola reported.

Before his sacking, Shin helped Indonesia play well in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. In the most recent game of the qualifiers, the team defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 in November 2024. Indonesia are currently third on the table, behind Japan and Australia. They have a great chance of securing World Cup qualification.

Thohir also revealed that the termination of Shin’s contract was considered before the match against China in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup on Oct. 15 where they lost 1-2.

Most recently, Indonesia ended their journey at the 2024 ASEAN Cup by finishing third in group B, failing to reach the semifinals. This result drew heavy criticism towards Shin.

Indonesia only scored four goals and conceded five after four group stage matches at the ASEAN Cup. This achievement is worse than what they did in previous tournaments. In 2020, Indonesia scored 20 goals and conceded 13; in 2022, they scored 12 goals and only conceded 3.

Coach Shin was appointed as Indonesia head coach in 2020. During nearly five years of his stint, Indonesia have achieved major goals at the national and U23 levels, such as passing the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, reaching the semifinals of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup and entering the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

These are all historic achievements for Indonesian football.

According to Thohir, PSSI has selected a replacement for Shin and will announce the new coach on Jan. 11. The goal is still to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.