With a population nearing 280 million, an economy of $1.3 trillion, and increasingly proactive in international affairs, Indonesia has long been touted as a superpower in the making. But this time feels real.
The archipelago nation’s economic and diplomatic clout have undoubtedly grown steadily these past ten years. What has been missing is the soft power to match. This is the ability, as the ever-shrewd Joseph S. Nye Jr. defined it, ‘to get what you want through attraction, rather than coercion or payments’.
Excepting tourism, sport and particularly football is the second plank of Indonesia’s strategy to attract international attention. The national team, or Timnas, once written off as also-rans, is increasingly confident on the global stage and beloved at home. Indonesians love football: Timnas players are mobbed if they take to the streets and have domestic social media followings in the millions.
This is for good reason. Indonesia’s U-23 side won gold at last year’s Southeast Asian games, and the senior team may just qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Led by Erick Thohir, a serving minister and former owner of Inter Milan, Indonesian football has become organisationally and financially cohesive.
Thohir is highly ambitious. Alongside upgrading the whole apparatus of Indonesian football, from training facilities to player care, the minister has launched a groundbreaking programme of ‘naturalisations’.
A suite of Netherlands-born players, but with Indonesian heritage, have been recruited to the national team, not least Jay Idzes of Venezia (Serie A), NEC’s Calvin Verdonk, Almere’s Thom Haye (both Eredivisie), and FC Dallas goalie Maarten Paes, who won the MLS 2024 Save of the Season.
Naturalisations serve as a footballing armoury for Indonesia, lifting standards and inculcating professionalism. But like with any weapon, European-level players need to be used properly to have a devastating effect. At present, they are being wasted.
Poor recent form has certainly raised doubts about the quality of current head coach Shin Tae-yong. A former South Korean international, Tae-yong is likeable and works his players hard.
But unlike the Dutch, who are bred on the attacking, fluent footballing philosophy of managers like Dick Advocaat, Indonesia of late have lacked shape, intent, and a discernible game plan.
No one doubts that Tae-yong has made Indonesia a formidable physical force. But a recent draw with Bahrain (2-2), loss to China (2-1), and drubbing by Japan (0-4) have exposed a dearth of tactical nous – and placed a cloud over Indonesia’s World Cup charge.
Making matters worse for Tae-yong, it would seem that the dressing room is turning against him. Indonesian media reported recently that the players met alone after the defeat to Japan in November. They sat down to ‘evaluate each other, exchange ideas, and strengthen (their) chemistry’, reported Victor Dethan, a young striker.
While players have every right to talk privately, it is unprecedented for a head coach to be excluded from such in-depth tactical discussions. Regardless, the talking shop seemed to have an effect, at least temporarily, with Indonesia beating Saudi Arabia in a qualifier just days later.
Local sources report that the private discussions were the idea of Jay Idzes, confirming rumours that Indonesia’s naturalised players are most opposed to the current coaching set-up. Attracted to Timnas by the recent professionalisation of the national game, they have seemingly identified a gulf between training facilities and tactical standards.
Given that homegrown talent will take time to come through, naturalised players will be crucial in Indonesia’s remaining World Cup qualifiers. In need of at least two victories, Timnas will face Australia and Bahrain in March, followed by China and Japan in June.
Shin Tae-yong may have until then – or he may not – to win back his dressing room. To do so, he must establish a playbook for Indonesia. The players must be told how to approach their football (the system), and how to play in different situations (the tactics).
Without this, the professionalisation of Indonesian football was for nothing. Another golden moment will have been wasted.
