Indonesia team fined by FIFA, greatly affecting the match against China

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced that the Indonesian team was punished for allowing their fans to speak disrespectfully towards the Bahrain team during the match between Indonesia and Bahrain on March 25, at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Jakarta, Indonesia).

Accordingly, about 200-300 home fans in the match used disrespectful words towards the Bahrain team. FIFA considered this as discriminatory behavior and the Indonesian team must be punished.

Indonesia was fined by FIFA right before the match with China in the World Cup qualifiers (Photo: AFC).

The Indonesian team will have a 15% reduction in the number of spectators attending the match between Indonesia and China, in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. This match will take place on June 5, at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium has a capacity of over 77,000 people. With a 15% reduction in spectators, in the match against China on June 5, this stadium can only accommodate a maximum of over 65,000 spectators.

FIFA also announced more specifically that Indonesia is not allowed to welcome spectators to sit in the north and south stands of Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, at both ends of the goal.

This certainly had a big impact on the Indonesian team, as they lacked the support of the audience at both ends of the goal, reducing the pressure on the visiting Chinese team.

The match between Indonesia and China is very important for both sides. The two teams are competing for the 3rd and 4th positions in Group C of the 3rd round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, aiming to win a ticket to the 4th qualifying round.

In addition to the penalty of reducing the number of spectators in the match against China on June 5, Indonesia was also fined $25,000 (about 650 million VND) by FIFA, also for allowing spectators to speak disrespectfully to their opponents.

Ranking of Group C, third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia (Photo: AFC).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/doi-tuyen-indonesia-bi-fifa-phat-anh-huong-lon-den-tran-gap-trung-quoc-20250511154548473.htm