Patrick Kluivert Fired, Rizky Ridho: We All Failed Together

For Rizky Ridho, wearing the red and white jersey has always been about pride. But this time, there's a bitter tone behind his words. He has just witnessed a new chapter in the Indonesian National Team's journey. Patrick Kluivert, the Dutch coach brought in with high hopes yet unable to meet expectations, has officially been dismissed by PSSI.

The decision was announced by PSSI, stating both parties agreed to terminate the cooperation early through mutual termination. In fact, Kluivert's contract was originally for two years.

"Coach Patrick is also a good coach. This change might result from his failure yesterday, and us as players too. So he was removed from the Indonesian National Team," Ridho stated when met after a training session with Persija Jakarta.

Those words are simple, yet feel heavy. Within his sentence lies an awareness that failure isn't individual but collective. Both coach and players were involved in the same outcome – the shattered 2026 World Cup dream halted in the fourth round.

Yet, since his arrival, Kluivert had brought fresh air. With experience playing for giants like Barcelona and Ajax, the public hoped he could instill modern European football DNA in the Garuda squad.
However, the National Team's qualifying journey felt like a roller coaster – spirited but losing momentum at critical moments.

Between Expectation and Reality

When asked about the ideal coach for the National Team's future, Ridho chose not to speculate. 

"I don't know about that. Hopefully it succeeds and targets are met," he said briefly.

His statement shows the maturity of a young player growing within a constantly changing system.
In the last four years, the Indonesian National Team has changed coaches over three times – from Shin Tae-yong, Indra Sjafri (interim), to Patrick Kluivert.

This turnover illustrates one thing: stability remains scarce in national football.

Nevertheless, Ridho acknowledged much could be learned from Kluivert – from his professional approach and open player communication to tactical vision emphasizing quick progression from the back, resembling modern Dutch play.

"Yes, everyone's disappointed about missing the 2026 World Cup. This is all our dream," Ridho expressed.

"From the start, we worked hard by changing coaches and bringing many new players. We failed. We'll evaluate again," he added.

From Failure to Rebuild

For Indonesian football fans, this failure is bitter. Yet behind it lies momentum for massive evaluation. PSSI now faces the major decision of finding a new coach who can not only build tactics but unify local players' vision and character with modern competition culture.

Names like Thomas Doll, Boaz Solossa (for local coaching staff), and Eastern European successors are circulating in media. But whoever comes, the challenge remains: rebuilding the Garuda spirit once broken.

Amid this, figures like Ridho become crucial. At a young age, he's part of a transition generation that must learn from failure while keeping faith in the future.

Perhaps this very failure lets Indonesia start anew. Because in football, as in life, no great journey begins without early wounds.