Shin Tae-yong Abruptly Dismissed as Indonesia National Team Coach
Shin Tae-yong's Son: "I Have Much to Say but Will Hold Back"
The Indonesian Football Association's dismissal of Shin Tae-yong, the national team coach, has drawn criticism from his son, Seongnam FC player Shin Jae-won.
On the 6th, Shin Jae-won shared the news of Coach Shin stepping down from leading the Indonesian national football team on his Instagram, writing, "After raising the FIFA ranking by 50 steps over 5 years and being 3rd in the World Cup qualifiers, to be dismissed is unbelievable." He added, "You worked hard all this time. Our family knows that Dad gave his best for Indonesia."
In another post, he commented in English, "Let's see how long they can go without a coach," and said, "My father devoted everything to bring Indonesia to this level." He continued, "There is much to say about how the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) treated my father over the past 5 years, but I will hold back."
On the previous day, PSSI announced via Instagram, "We have terminated the contracts of Coach Shin with the Indonesian senior national team and the under-23 team." They explained, "This decision was made based on a long and careful review and evaluation of the long-term goals that the Indonesian national football team must achieve."
The reason for Coach Shin's dismissal appears to be the failure to reach the semifinals in the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Cup (Mitsubishi Cup), the largest football tournament in Southeast Asia. During the group stage of the tournament, Coach Shin's team was consecutively defeated by teams led by Korean coaches. After drawing 3-3 with Laos, coached by Ha Hyuk-jun, they lost 0-1 to Vietnam, led by Kim Sang-sik, finishing 3rd in the group. Ultimately, they did not advance to the semifinal knockout stage, which only the top two teams could enter.
Coach Shin Tae-yong. Photo by Yonhap News
At the press conference announcing Coach Shin's dismissal, PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir said, "The concern in this team evaluation was 'dynamism.' We need a coach who can help players execute strategies better."
However, Indonesian football fans have also shown negative reactions to Coach Shin's dismissal. The Japanese media Soccer Digest reported that day, "As Indonesia abruptly dismissed Korean coach Shin Tae-yong, who defeated Saudi Arabia in the World Cup qualifiers, Indonesian football fans are flooding with criticism."
Coach Shin took over as head coach of the Indonesian national team at the end of 2019 and achieved remarkable results. He led the team to the runner-up position in the 2020 Mitsubishi Cup and last year, in the U-23 Asian Cup, defeated Korea, coached by Hwang Sun-hong, in the quarterfinals, preventing Korea from advancing to the Olympic finals. Notably, Indonesia's FIFA ranking, which was 173rd before Coach Shin's appointment, rose nearly 50 places to 127th as of December last year.
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