Sty Reveals PSSI Training Chronology for Indonesian National Team
Shin Tae-yong Reveals Shocking details of Indonesia National Team Dismissal: Focused on Australia Victory Until Termination Letter Arrived
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Shin Tae-yong, the former head coach of the Indonesian national team, has revealed a surprising account of the events leading up to his dismissal, detailing how he was actively planning for a crucial World Cup qualifying match against Australia when he received his termination letter. The revelation came during a conversation with Jeje, his translator with the national team, on a recent podcast.
Focused on Australia,Believing in Direct Qualification
Sty,as he’s commonly known,explained that he and his team were deeply immersed in strategizing for the upcoming clash against Australia in the third round of the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers. Despite a recent defeat against Japan which placed Indonesia in a challenging group position, Sty remained optimistic about their chances.
“Actually, I and Kim Jong-in, staff of the national team analysis, have plans to go to Australia in March, make a strategy for the players how to gather them, and how to go from Europe to Australia,” he shared. He firmly believed that with a victory over Australia, Indonesia could secure direct qualification for the World cup.
“As long as the player’s condition is good and can defeat Australia, we can definitely be ranked first. Yes, directly (qualify),” he stated with conviction. While acknowledging the difficulty of facing Japan again, Sty was confident in their ability to win all other matches.
A Strategy Centered Around the Australia Match
The coach outlined a specific strategy centered around prioritizing the Australia match, even if it meant potentially conceding ground in the match against Japan. “So we focus on matches with Australia. Then even though we have to give up the match against Japan, then our points are the best after Japan. It can be directly, that is our strategy,” he explained.
Sty and his team were entirely dedicated to this plan, foregoing vacation plans and meticulously organizing travel arrangements for players based in Europe and the United States – including goalkeeper Maarten Paes. He was entirely focused on logistical details like flight schedules and ensuring players arrived in Australia prepared.
The Unexpected Termination
The termination letter came as a complete shock. “So we don’t have a vacation plan deliberately and think about how abroad players leave earlier from Europe to Australia, like schedules, flight tickets, and others,” he recounted. “Including our goalkeeper from America, what’s his name? Yes, Marteen. When we planned all this, then suddenly… honestly, I never thought of stopping.”
Sty emphasized his unwavering belief in their ability to qualify for the World Cup if they could overcome Australia in March. “If we won the third round against Australia in March, I was sure we could definitely be able to qualify for the World Cup. I was so focus on thinking about that I didn’t have the chance to think of others,” he said. The timing of the dismissal, while he was fully immersed in planning for this pivotal match, was notably jarring.
(then/ADP)