Fans here breathe football, says S’pore coach Aidil Sharin as he begins his Indonesian adventure

SINGAPORE – Aidil Sharin is no stranger to Indonesian football and the fanaticism involved there.

In 2018, he led Home United (now rebranded Lion City Sailors) to a 3-1 win over Persija Jakarta in the AFC Cup Asean Zonal semi-final, second-leg match in front of a record 62,198 fans at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

While Aidil and his side would eventually silence the opposition fans, witnessing the partisan crowd pour all their emotions into supporting their team convinced Aidil that he must coach in Indonesia someday.

And in 2023, the 45-year-old has his wish fulfilled.

Last Saturday, Aidil was announced as the head coach of Persikabo 1973, who are currently ninth in the 18-team, top-tier Indonesian Liga 1 table after 17 matches.

The team are based in West Java, south of Jakarta. Aidil, who was in charge of Kedah Darul Aman in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) previously, joins on an initial five-month deal but with an option to extend for another year at the end of the season.

Aidil is the first Singaporean to coach in Indonesia since Fandi Ahmad was at Pelita Jaya from 2006 to 2010. He stated that he has already received countless messages of support from the club’s fans on his Instagram account, and that at least 50 fans watched his side train in different sessions this week.

Aidil said: “My dream has always been to coach abroad and, in Kedah, I learnt a lot about myself and the game.

“This move to Indonesia is the next step in my progression as a coach. It’s an honour to be coaching in a football-mad country like Indonesia. The fans here breathe football and that, of course, means pressure for any coach at the helm. But I love challenges and coaching in this league is something I have eyed for some time.

“My mentors Robert Alberts and Steve Darby, who I used to play under, have always told me to never be comfortable and seek challenges. That is exactly what I am doing.”

Aidil joins Persikabo after a relatively successful stint in Kedah.

He was appointed Kedah coach in October 2018, joining from Home where he guided the Singapore Premier League side to the Asean zone title in the continental AFC Cup competition two months earlier.

At Kedah, he won the 2019 FA Cup title and led the club to two runners-up finishes in the 2020 and 2021 MSL.

Aidil leads Persikabo, currently on a six-game winless run, out for the first time on Saturday against Persebaya Surabaya. Since their founding in 2015, he team have never finished higher than 10th, a target Aidil hopes to surpass in 2023.

He said: “Of course, with the way the last few results have gone, morale in the squad is not great. But I am determined to do a good job here.

“Every time I go abroad, I know I am not just representing myself but Singapore as well. The pressure is high but I have to embrace it.”