Reject PSSI Protest! AFC Appoints Kuwaiti Referee for Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia Hot Match

The PSSI accepts the decision by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to appoint a referee from Kuwait for the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers match between the Indonesian national team and Saudi Arabia.

PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi stated that his party respects the decision, although they had previously submitted a protest due to concerns about the objectivity of a referee from the same region.

“PSSI accepts the decision because it falls under the authority of the AFC. We trust the response provided by the AFC in their letter to us,” Yunus said in an audio statement.

In a reply letter dated September 25, the AFC confirmed that the appointment of the Kuwaiti referee underwent professional consideration. 

“The regional affiliation of the match officials does not present a conflict of interest as they are all fully trained elite AFC referees responsible for delivering their best without fear or favour,” wrote the AFC.

According to data from The ASEAN Football, all match officials for the game are from Kuwait. 

Ahmed Al-Ali will be the main referee, assisted by Abdul Hadi Al-Anzi and Ahmed Abbas as assistant referees, with Ammar Ashkanani as the fourth official. The VAR position will be filled by Abdullah Jamali and Abdullah Al-Kandari.

Yunus hopes all match officials will uphold the values of sportsmanship. 

“Certainly, we very much hope that sportsmanship and fair play in this match are highly anticipated and awaited by us, as we do not want this match to be compromised by biased officiating,” he emphasized.

Previously, The ASEAN Football Instagram reported that FIFA and the AFC rejected PSSI's protest requesting a referee change due to concerns it could potentially lead to a conflict of interest. 

“FIFA and the AFC have officially rejected PSSI's proposal to replace Kuwaiti referee Ahmad Al-Ali with a neutral referee for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Round 4 Qualifier between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia on October 8, 2025,” stated the report.

Meanwhile, Indonesian national team player Jordi Amat expressed hope for a fair match. 

“I hope the referee will be fair. I trust FIFA. Let's hope we can perform well. It's all about performance. We hope that we, Indonesia, can play better than them and we can qualify for the World Cup,” he hoped.

The Indonesian national team will face Saudi Arabia on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 00:15 WIB at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Jeddah. Three days later, Indonesia is scheduled to play Iraq at the same stadium.

Only the group winner qualifies automatically for the 2026 World Cup, while the runner-up advances to the next qualifying round. Teams finishing in third place are eliminated. (Antara)