Patrick Kluivert has concluded his nine-month stint as head coach of the Indonesian national football team. He departs after a short but transformative time at the helm. Eventually, both Kluivert and the Indonesian Football Federation agreed to mutual termination after the team was unable to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. It was through their joint effort that they got to this agreement.
Kluivert was appointed as head coach in January 2023 on a two-year contract. Yet he was dealt a tough hand by the issues that prevailed during his tenure. In eight competitive matches, Kluivert’s record stood at three victories, four defeats, and one stalemate. Under his leadership, Indonesia had trouble establishing any real continuity on the field. These dysfunctions within the team contributed to its inability to qualify for next year’s World Cup.
The former Dutch international, who was born in Amsterdam, had been appointed to replace Korean coach Shin Tae-yong. His new charge was to improve on Indonesia’s existing approach of naturalizing European players of Indonesian descent. In turn, this commitment to improve the national team’s competitiveness on the world stage.
Picture this, not only did Kluivert have a great playing career with Ajax, AC Milan, and Barcelona. Yet, his path as a coach has been plagued with controversy. He won the UEFA Champions League, then known as the European Cup, with Ajax. In addition, he was assistant coach to Louis van Gaal with the Dutch national team from 2012 through 2014. In 2021, he served as caretaker manager for Curacao.
Kluivert expressed his disappointment over the team’s inability to qualify for the World Cup but remained proud of his work with the squad.
“Even though I’m deeply disappointed and sorry for the fact that we didn’t make it to the World Cup, I’ll always be proud of what we built together.” – Patrick Kluivert
Now that Kluivert is leaving his post, all eyes will be on what Indonesia does next in their journey to compete with the best of the world. The federation is still searching for a new permanent head coach. This shift is necessary for them to get back on track and return to a more competitive place on the global football scene.
