What did the Indonesian football boss say about the 'storm' of injuries: Is the chance to attend the 2026 World Cup in jeopardy?

The Indonesian national team has just surprisingly recalled naturalized midfielder Marc Klok after more than a year and a half of absence and seemingly forgotten. The team has just been hit by an injury storm right before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) made a tough statement.

The Indonesian national team has just announced the call-up of 27 players for the September FIFA Days, playing two international friendly matches against Kuwait and Lebanon, on September 5 and 8 in Surabaya respectively. These matches are the final preparation steps before the team of thousands of islands enters the important matches in the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia in October.

The Indonesian team is the only representative of Southeast Asian football competing for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, when entering the fourth qualifying round of the Asian region.

Photo: Reuters

The injury storm has forced Garuda (the Indonesian team's nickname) to say goodbye to many of its naturalized star players during the September training camp, notably No. 1 goalkeeper Maarten Paes and key striker Ole Romeny. Both of these players are out for a long time and have not yet set a return date. Center back Kevin Diks was also recently injured, but was still called up and it is unclear whether he will be able to play or not.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian team recorded the return of striker Ragnar Oratmangoen after more than 6 months of absence due to illness. Similarly, Marc Klok, this player of Dutch origin, returned to the team for the first time after more than 1.5 years of absence. Marc Klok used to be an indispensable pillar of the Indonesian team, but after the recent wave of naturalized players, he gradually eliminated from the team.

The rest of the Indonesian team still has names that have regularly played recently, including Jay Idzes, Rizky Ridho, Thom Haye, Sandy Walsh, Marselino Ferdinan and Egy Maulana Vikri.

Of these, only Thom Haye is still unemployed and has not joined a new club. Meanwhile, Marselino Ferdinan is also injured like Kevin Diks, but coach Kluivert still wants to call them to review their situation.

In addition, two players Rafael Struick and Iver Jenner were not called up to the national team, because they will be reinforced for the Indonesia U.23 team to compete in the U.23 Asia qualifiers also taking place in early September.

The new policy in the National Championship opens the door to foreign players, causing the Indonesian national team to increasingly lack domestic players.

Photo: Reuters

According to PSSI President Erick Thohir, despite the difficulty in personnel due to the storm of injuries, the country's football agency will fully support the team in the preparation campaign and aim to get a ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the fourth qualifying round of the Asian region in October.

"The FIFA Days matches in September against Kuwait and Lebanon will be a preparation step for the Indonesian team before facing Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. Facing two opponents from the Middle East is an opportunity for the Indonesian team to study and predict the potential and strength of the two teams Saudi Arabia and Iraq, who are also from the Middle East. Go Garuda!", Mr. Erick Thohir expressed through a message posted on the social network account X on August 22.

In the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, the Indonesian team is in Group B with Iraq and the host team Saudi Arabia (competing from October 8 to 14).

All three teams will compete for the top spot in the group, winning a valuable ticket to the final round in the US, Mexico and Canada next summer. In Group A, Qatar, UAE and Oman will compete for the remaining ticket. The two second-placed teams will play a play-off (2 rounds), competing for a place in the Intercontinental play-off round (6 teams) to compete for the two remaining tickets in March 2026.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sep-lon-bong-da-indonesia-noi-gi-ve-con-bao-chan-thuong-co-hoi-du-world-cup-2026-lam-nguy-185250822104510752.htm