U.20 team coach is about to be fired, U.22 Indonesia team attending SEA Games 33 has no leader

According to CNN Indonesia, if PSSI decides to dismiss U.20 coach Indra Sjafri after the Asian Championship failure, they will have to pay a large sum in compensation, similar to when they parted ways with coach Shin Tae-yong. Meanwhile, the position of coach for the U.22 team for the 33rd SEA Games remains vacant.

This information was confirmed by Sumardji, President of the Indonesian Football Federation's National Team Agency (PSSI), to CNN Indonesia on February 21st. He stated that if coach Indra Sjafri were dismissed immediately, PSSI would have to pay a significant amount in compensation, as his contract runs until the end of 2027.

The Vietnam U22 team will face the Indonesia U22 team at the 2023 SEA Games.

Photo: Ngoc Duong

"Similar to the case of coach Shin Tae-yong before, after the 2024 AFF Cup, we must conduct specific evaluations of coach Indra Sjafri after the 2025 U.20 Asian Championship campaign (currently taking place in China). The results of the Indonesian U.20 team in this tournament will be reviewed, including the coach. All issues, good or bad, will be discussed before making a decision on replacing the coach or reforming the team," said Sumardji.

According to Sumardji, "If PSSI dismisses the coach (Indra Sjafri), as was the case with Shin Tae-yong previously, they will certainly have to pay a considerable amount in compensation, because the contract with this coach is still valid until the end of 2027."

Therefore, we cannot make decisions arbitrarily based on the opinions of one or two people. Everything is based on reports, assessments, and of course, will be discussed together. Whether Indra Sjafri will be dismissed or not has not been decided yet. We will make a decision after the upcoming meeting with the executive board."

The Indonesian U.20 team, led by coach Indra Sjafri, was a major disappointment, being eliminated early in the group stage of the U.20 Asian Championship with two losses and one draw, failing to achieve their goal of qualifying for the U.20 World Cup finals (held in September in Chile).

Indonesian fans are calling on PSSI to sack coach Indra Sjafri, citing his outdated coaching style, despite him being the hero who nearly two years ago helped Indonesian football win its first SEA Games gold medal in men's football in 32 years in Cambodia.

Indra Sjafri had also planned to lead the Indonesian U.22 team at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand later this year to defend their gold medal, using players from the current U.20 team. However, their failure at the U.20 Asian Championship has led to intense criticism.

Coach Shin Tae-yong, while still managing the Indonesian national team, was sacked after their failure at the 2024 AFF Cup.

Photo: AFP

After the final group stage match of the U.20 Asian Championship, where the Indonesian U.20 team drew 0-0 against Yemen on February 19th, coach Indra Sjafri admitted: "I did not fulfill my duty. I took too big a risk by setting the goal for the Indonesian U.20 team to qualify for the World Cup. Therefore, I will let the PSSI decide. I don't care about being replaced, because this is the responsibility of the federation, and whatever the risk of failure, I will still take full responsibility."

Previously, according to Indonesian media, when PSSI President Erick Thohir abruptly decided to dismiss coach Shin Tae-yong from the national team, they had to pay a huge sum of nearly $4.5 million (over 114.6 billion VND) in compensation for the remaining time of his contract, which was scheduled to end in 2027.

Currently, coach Indra Sjafri still has a similar contract remaining and is considered a key figure in Indonesian football after winning the SEA Games gold medal; if he is dismissed, he will receive a substantial compensation.

Given the uncertain future of coach Indra Sjafri, the Indonesian U.22 team for the upcoming SEA Games 33 also currently has no designated head coach.

Most likely, PSSI will entrust this task to the U23 coach, Gerald Vanenburg from the Netherlands, who is also a member of the Indonesian national team's coaching staff currently led by Patrick Kluivert. They also have the major goal of competing in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region, so everything remains unclear, according to CNN Indonesia .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-doi-u20-sap-bi-sa-thai-u22-indonesia-du-sea-games-33-chua-co-nguoi-dan-dat-185250221113759134.htm