Indonesia see World Cup chance as Asian qualifying reaches climax
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Indonesian football authorities appointed legendary Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert as coach in January.
PHOTO: AFP
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HONG KONG – World Cup qualifying in Asia reaches its climax over the next few days, with Patrick Kluivert’s Indonesia among six countries vying for two remaining spots from the region.
The football-mad nation of about 285 million people is on the verge of its first World Cup since declaring independence from the Dutch in 1945.
The Indonesian football authorities have looked to the Netherlands to achieve it, bringing in famed Dutch striker Kluivert as coach in January
They have also naturalised more than a dozen players born in the Netherlands but with family ties to the South-east Asian country.
It comes three years after Indonesian football was plunged into mourning when 135 people were killed in a stadium crush during a domestic game.
“The whole country needs to stand behind us,” said Kluivert, the former Netherlands and Barcelona star, whose team face Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Group B.
There are two groups at this stage of Asian qualifying, each with three teams who will all face each other once.
The two group winners will qualify for the 2026 showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The coming World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams from 32, giving the likes of Indonesia a better chance of qualifying.
“We are doing our utmost best to perform at the highest level and prepare the players as good as possible,” said Kluivert.
“Inshallah (God willing) we are ready to make the country proud of us.”
Indonesia will have to do it the hard way, with Saudi Arabia staging all the games in Group B and so having home advantage.
Indonesia and Saudi Arabia meet on Oct 8 in Jeddah to kick-start the action.
Kluivert, whose coaching career has never lived up to his stellar playing days, has won three of his six games in charge, losing two and drawing one.
The Saudis will be favourites to win the group and are now back under French coach Herve Renard, following the sacking of Italian Roberto Mancini in 2024 after a poor run.
Renard masterminded the Saudis’ shock 2-1 win over Lionel Messi’s eventual champions Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Said Renard: “Especially when we play in Jeddah. The atmosphere can be incredible.
“But I always tell the players (that) the fans will follow us if we show them we are determined, if we are motivated. The first actions come from us.”
He added that friendlies in September, which saw them beat North Macedonia 2-1 and draw 1-1 with the Czech Republic, have been good preparation for the qualifiers.
“The spirit was fantastic,” Renard was quoted by Arab News as saying. “We changed five players for each game, but the spirit was the same – the way we started, the way we finished.
“We didn’t treat them as friendlies. We were already thinking about October.”
Group A comprises Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, who are bidding to reach the Finals for the first time.
That group will play all its games in Qatar, giving the reigning Asian champions an undeniable advantage.
Qatar appointed former Spain and Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui in May, following his sacking by West Ham United
They begin the Group A action in Doha against Oman.
The runners-up in the two groups will meet in a two-legged tie in November, with the winner going into an intercontinental play-off.
Six teams from Asia have already guaranteed qualification: Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, Jordan and Australia. AFP
