Regarding Patrick Kluivert's dismissal, Erick Thohir: Give me two days
Source: between
Following the dismissal of Patrick Kluivert from his position as coach of the Indonesian national team, one question arises: who will replace him? However, the Chairman of PSSI (Football Association of Indonesia), who is also the Minister of Youth and Sports, Erick Thohir, chose to be cautious in responding to matters surrounding Kluivert's dismissal and his successor.
“I don't want to answer, later that, this is the Minister,” he said briefly, emphasizing that the context of the event was not about football.
“For football matters, not today. Because the venue isn't appropriate. If not, others [will ask]. Give me two days," he added.
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PSSI waits for Erick Thohir to decide Kluivert's fate.
The decision to dismiss Kluivert was made following a series of poor results in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian zone Qualifiers.
Indonesia lost 0-1 to Iraq at King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah. This was the second defeat after the Garuda Team fell 2-3 to Saudi Arabia.
These two negative results left Garuda languishing at the bottom of Group B standings and eliminated from the race to the 2026 World Cup.
Amid public pressure, Erick maintained distance from making direct statements. He only hinted that the actual information was already available.
“But the statement is already out there for the public,” he said briefly.
PSSI, through its official website, has confirmed the termination of cooperation with the Dutch coach.
“The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) and the Indonesian National Team Coaching Staff have officially agreed to an early termination of cooperation through a mutual termination mechanism," wrote the official PSSI website on Thursday.
PSSI emphasized that this agreement was not unilateral, but rather by mutual consent.
This agreement was signed between PSSI and the Parties within the Coaching Staff who were previously bound by a two-year cooperation contract.
Interestingly, the decision to dismiss Kluivert came just five days after the match against Iraq.
"Thank you for the contributions Coach Patrick Kluivert and the Coaching Staff have made over nearly 12 months for PSSI & the Indonesian National Team," wrote Erick.
Now the public awaits who will replace Kluivert. Will the two days Erick requested bring clarity on Kluivert's successor? (Antara)
