Patrick Kluivert’s stint as Indonesia coach is over after only nine months as both parties “mutually” agreed to part ways following a failed bid to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Indonesia’s hopes of qualifying for the tournament in North America next year ended with defeats by Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the past week in the fourth round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers.
The former Netherlands and Barcelona forward was only appointed in January, on a two-year contract partway through Indonesia’s qualifying campaign, and was in charge for eight matches.
The 49-year-old won three of his games in charge, losing four and drawing one.
In a post on Instagram, Kluivert described his time in charge as “an unforgettable journey”.
He added: “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.
“The defeats against Saudi Arabia and Iraq were bitter lessons, but also reminders of how high our shared dreams are. As head coach, I take full responsibility.”
The 49-year-old Kluivert replaced South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong amid the intensification of the Indonesian federation’s policy of naturalising players from Europe with Indonesian heritage. The programme helped take the team to the final stages of qualification for the first time since 1938, when it appeared at the World Cup as Dutch East Indies.
The majority of Kluivert’s final roster of 23 were born overseas, mainly in the Netherlands. However, results didn’t noticeably improve under the new coaching setup.
The Football Association of Indonesia, PSSI, said Kluivert’s departure was “through mutual termination”.
“This step was taken as part of a comprehensive evaluation of the national football coaching and development programme,” it added.
The statement did not name Kluivert’s successor.
Amsterdam-born Kluivert retired as a player in 2008 after a stellar career that started at Ajax, where he won the Champions League, before moves to AC Milan and Barcelona.
Kluivert’s managerial career has not been nearly as spectacular.
His previous coaching role was in charge of Adana Demirspor in Turkiye for five months in 2023.
Before that, he was caretaker manager of Curacao in 2021.
He was also number two to Louis van Gaal with the Dutch national side in 2012-2014.
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