PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir has disclosed the schedule for the return of Indonesian National Team coach Shin Tae-yong to the country.
As known, Shin Tae-yong decided to return to his hometown in South Korea after leading the Indonesian national team to the third round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The 53-year-old coach returned to South Korea on June 14, 2024. After arriving in South Korea, Shin Tae-yong was initially out of touch.
However, it was soon reported that he underwent surgery due to pleurisy caused by a bacterial infection. PSSI confirmed the news that the coach had undergone surgery in South Korea.
The former Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma coach is believed to be not seriously ill and is in recovery. This became apparent as Shin Tae-yong was recently seen inaugurating a football field in his hometown of Yeongdeok, South Korea.
The former South Korea coach from the 2018 World Cup inaugurated a new football field named after him. The Indonesian national team coach appeared to be in good health and very cheerful.
Although he seems to be improving, PSSI is still allowing Shin Tae-yong time to rest. He is permitted to recover in his home country before returning to Indonesia.
“Shin Tae-yong has just undergone surgery,” Erick Thohir told reporters at Mahaka Square. However, the former Inter Milan owner hopes Shin Tae-yong can return soon.
The PSSI chairman cannot yet provide an exact schedule for Shin Tae-yong’s return. However, Erick Thohir hinted that the coach would return soon.
It is likely he will return to Indonesia in one or two weeks. Thus, Shin is expected to return to Indonesia according to the initial plan.
The coach was previously scheduled to return to Indonesia on July 21 from South Korea.
Therefore, if following Erick Thohir’s statement, Shin is likely to return on July 21.
According to Erick, this is because Shin Tae-yong is needed to get the team ready for the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The event will begin on September 5 and 10.
The Indonesian national team is scheduled to face Saudi Arabia on September 5 away.
Then, the second match against Australia at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, on September 10, 2024.
“Hopefully he can come back in a week or two and start preparing our team for the third round of the World Cup,” said Erick Thohir.
These two matches will mark the beginning of the Indonesian national team’s journey in the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The Garuda team must have a good start if they want to advance to the next round.
The competition in Group C of the third round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers includes tough opponents. Shin Tae-yong’s team will face Japan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bahrain, and China.
Only the top two teams will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.
The teams finishing third and fourth will move on to the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers to compete for a World Cup spot.
Shin Tae-yong has openly aimed for a third or fourth-place finish. Therefore, PSSI hopes Shin Tae-yong can prepare well and return to the country soon. No Long-Term Training Camp, Erick Thohir’s Request to Clubs for National Team Players
PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir acknowledges having a request to clubs to play players representing the Indonesian national team.
As announced, Liga 1 for the 2024/2025 season will begin on August 9, 2024.
Ahead of the 2024/2025 season, PSSI and PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB) have prepared everything well and thoroughly.
PT LIB has even designed the Liga 1 schedule for the next three years for the first time.
This schedule is also aligned with the Indonesian national team’s agenda.
PSSI and PT LIB claim to have planned according to the Garuda team’s future agenda.
They hope there will be no conflicts or debates between clubs and PSSI when players are called up to the national team.
Additionally, PSSI hopes that with a well-organized schedule, clubs can release players to the national team without issues.
Previously, PT LIB even stated that they made a new rule for Liga 1 coaches to release players when called up to the Garuda squad.
This was because last season, some foreign coaches in Liga 1 were reluctant to release their players to the national team.
This situation caused PSSI headaches until they temporarily halted Liga 1, and coaches finally released players to the national team.
Although after the players competed in Qatar and played in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, Liga 1 resumed.
Given this situation, Indonesian national team manager Sumardji previously stated that Liga 1 clubs are now required to release players to the Garuda squad four days before the FIFA Matchday agenda.
This rule has been incorporated into the regulations discussed by PSSI and PT LIB ahead of Liga 1 2024/2025.
Thus, players called up to the national team can only join four days before the Garuda team’s agenda.
Erick Thohir explained that there would be no long-term training camps (TC) for the Indonesian national team.
According to him, the senior national team no longer implements long-term training camps.
Therefore, the coach must maximize the training schedule later.
Erick said that many Indonesian national team players are now playing domestically and abroad.
Therefore, these players will focus on their clubs and only leave when the FIFA agenda approaches.
Thus, they will join the team at the last minute.
“For the senior team, the training camp is four days before the FIFA Matchday,” said Erick Thohir to the media at Mahaka Square
“So, it’s not feasible to have long-term training camps like those for the U-17 or U-20 teams because all the players are currently engaged with their clubs,”
To address this situation, the PSSI chairman has a request to the clubs.
The former Inter Milan owner emphasizes that clubs should give plenty of playing time to national team players.
