Coach Shin Tae-yong fired for difficulty communicating with Indonesian players

"We have to thank him for his contributions to the Indonesian team. But in my opinion, Shin Tae-yong's main problem during his time here was communication," Azrul told the newspaper.Republic. "He doesn't speak Indonesian, nor does he speak English. This makes communication more complicated, requiring Korean-Indonesian, Korean-English, even Indonesian-English interpreters."

Coach Shin Tae-yong has led Indonesia since December 2019 and has just been extended until 2027. He focuses on developing young players and boldly uses them in the National Team. Shin's first success was bringing Indonesia to the final of the AFF Cup 2021. Although they lost to Thailand with a total score of 2-6, their squad, which includes many U23 players, is highly regarded for its potential.

Coach Shin then helped Indonesia qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time since 2007 and then reach the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. However, on January 6, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) announced that Shin had been fired and former Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert had been appointed. PSSI stressed that this had nothing to do with Indonesia's failure at the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

PSSI has tasked Kluivert with helping Indonesia qualify for the 2026 World Cup, meaning they don’t trust Shin to do it. According to Azrul, communication within the Indonesian team has become increasingly complicated due to the addition of more naturalized players from Europe, and coach Shin cannot resolve it due to language barriers.

Azrul said that during his many years working in Indonesia, Shin had no intention of learning the language. He said this was a shortcoming of the trainer, and compared it to the fact that Indonesian workers in Korea are required to know Korean.

“In today’s era, being fluent in multiple languages ​​is very important, especially for international jobs. No coach can be world-class without being fluent in multiple languages,” Azrul commented.

Azrul also said he understood the thinking and way of doing of PSSI President Erick Thohir, who is implementing a plan to reform Indonesian football. The director of Persebaya Surabaya Club reassured fans, saying that Indonesian football is going through its most golden period in history and will continue to move forward.

"I can understand Mr. Erick's thinking. With a large investment to recruit overseas players, Indonesia needs a coach who can communicate directly without language barriers," he said.