The paradox of the Indonesian team

The Dutch-origin stars did not help Indonesia become a dragon.

However, the current success of Curacao and Suriname, teams that also rely on resources from the Netherlands in the CONCACAF 2026 World Cup qualifiers, shows a paradox: Is Indonesia doing it wrong?

Indonesia failed to achieve its goal with a squad of Dutch-born players, leading to failure in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and ending their dream of participating in a first major tournament since 1938.

In contrast, Curacao and Suriname – two former Dutch colonies – are on the verge of reaching their first World Cup finals thanks to effectively tapping into the talent of their Dutch emigrant communities.

Suriname are top of Group A and if they maintain this record in their two matches in November, they will make history. Meanwhile, Curacao, despite losing their advantage, still have a chance as they are only 1 point behind Group B leaders Jamaica.

According to Voetball , Indonesia's squad is theoretically much better and more expensive than Suriname or Curacao. Of course, all comparisons are lame, but the performance of the Dutch-origin stars in the Indonesian team contrasts too much with the two representatives in CONCACAF, where the conditions are worse.

After two consecutive defeats under Patrick Kluivert – 2-3 against Saudi Arabia and 0-1 against Iraq – Indonesia were officially eliminated from the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The defeats angered the Indonesian public, who criticized coach Kluivert and forced the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to reconsider its strategy.

It is worth mentioning that coach Kluivert had disappointed when leading Curacao in the past, but PSSI still decided to give this strategist a chance, after firing coach Shin Tae-yong. Bola newspaper said that PSSI was blind when giving the entire Dutch coaching staff a chance.

Curacao (blue shirt) effectively used players of Dutch origin in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.

In fact, coaches from the Netherlands have not brought any success to the country's football over the past year. Coach Kluivert's use of the squad, which consists mostly of players born abroad, mainly in the Netherlands, has also been questioned.

Indonesia’s approach to football appears to be more “extreme” and mechanical than that of Suriname or Curaçao – two countries that used to be part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Both teams rely on a squad of Dutch-born players who voluntarily returned to build their strength, taking advantage of the abundant talent from the migrant community.

Also using coaches and assistants from the Netherlands, Suriname and Curacao are more successful than Indonesia despite not spending too much money. This shows the paradox and bitterness of the Southeast Asian representatives. Not following a stereotype or being mechanical with a way of doing things will bring success.

Source: https://znews.vn/nghich-ly-cua-tuyen-indonesia-post1594415.html