Indonesian football quits Southeast Asian tournament

Indonesian football clubs were completely absent from the draw ceremony for the ASEAN Club Championship, also known as the Shopee Cup 2025-2026, on the afternoon of July 4.

Indonesian football teams drop out of ASEAN Club Championship - Photo: BOLA

The reason why Indonesian clubs did not participate in the ASEAN Club Championship is because the football managers of the archipelago country could not find a common voice with the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF).

After the end of the 2024-2025 season, the Indonesian Championship has determined the champion and runner-up teams as Persib Bandung and Dewa United respectively.

According to the regulations, these two teams will represent Indonesia in the ASEAN Club Championship.

However, Indonesia did not register these two teams for the ASEAN Club Championship, but instead registered Persebaya Surabaya (the third-placed team) and Malut United (the fourth-placed team).

AFF of course did not approve these two clubs to participate because it would undermine the prestige of the tournament. In the end, things could not be resolved amicably so the Indonesian clubs decided to withdraw from the ASEAN Club Championship.

According to the explanation of Indonesian football managers, the reason they registered the third and fourth teams to participate in the ASEAN Club Championship is to reduce pressure on Persib Bandung and Dewa United.

If Persib Bandung and Dewa United participate in the SEAN Club Championship, these two teams will have to compete in 4-5 arenas next season, including domestic tournaments and Asian Cups.

The goal of Indonesian clubs is to focus on the Asian arena to improve their performance in order to have a representative in the Champions League Elite (the highest level of Asian club competition). Therefore, if they have to participate in the ASEAN Club Championship, the two Indonesian clubs will face many major obstacles in the Asian arena.

NOSTALGIA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-da-indonesia-bo-giai-dong-nam-a-20250704200354201.htm