What Patrick Kluivert Says About His Dismissal as Indonesia's Coach

October 17, 2025 | 08:14 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Patrick Kluivert's contract with the Indonesian national football team ended prematurely after his dismissal on Thursday, for his failure to lead Indonesia to qualifiy for the 2026 World Cup.

Kluivert expressed disappointment and regret after the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) terminated his contract as the national team coach through a 'mutual termination' mechanism.

"Even though I’m deeply disappointed and sorry for the fact that we didn’t make it to the World Cup, I’ll always be proud of what we built together," he said on his official Instagram account on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

During his nine-month tenure, Kluivert recorded three wins, one draw, and four losses in eight matches with the Garuda team. Transfermarkt noted that Indonesia's average points per match in Kluivert's era was 1.25 points.

Out of the four losses, two occurred in the fourth round of Group B Asian Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup last week.

Indonesia was defeated by Saudi Arabia 2-3 in the first match and 0-1 by Iraq in the second match. These two losses placed Indonesia at the bottom of Group B, cutting short its quest for the World Cup.

Reflecting on his journey with the Indonesia national team, the Dutchman thanked the fans, players, coaching staff, and PSSI Chair Erick Thohir for accompanying the Garuda's journey until the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. 

This contract termination not only applies to Kluivert but also to the entire coaching staff from the Netherlands, including Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat as assistant coaches, as well as Gerald Vanenburg in the U-23 national team and Frank van Kempen in the U-20 national team.

"This termination of cooperation was carried out based on the agreement of both parties, considering internal dynamics and the future strategic direction of national team development. With the end of this cooperation, the Coaching Team will no longer handle the Indonesian National Team at the senior, U23, or U20 levels," wrote the official PSSI website.

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