Jakarta. Indonesia's national team coach, Shin Tae-yong, has revealed that he has not yet signed a contract extension with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI). However, he assured that he will remain committed to PSSI until 2027.
Speaking to the media at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Saturday, Shin Tae-yong explained that he has not seen the contract directly and, therefore, cannot speak much about it at the moment.
"I haven't seen anything directly. So, I can't talk about it now. Because the matches have just ended," said Shin Tae-yong.
Shin Tae-yong, along with the Indonesia U-23 National Team, arrived at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Saturday, after their match against Guinea in the Paris 2024 Olympic Playoffs at the Clairefontaine Stadium in Paris on Thursday. The arrival of the Young Garuda squad was warmly welcomed by supporters in the arrival lobby area.
Regarding future targets, Shin Tae-yong's immediate goal is to qualify for the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Iraq and the Philippines next June.
"Our nearest target is to prepare the team for the second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. We will certainly try to qualify, step by step towards the next target," said Shin Tae-yong.
In the AFC U-23 Asian Cup semifinals, Indonesia lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan. In the third-place playoff, the Young Garuda lost 1-2 to Iraq after extra time, forcing them to go through the playoffs for the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers. Unfortunately, Indonesia failed to qualify for the world's oldest sporting event after being defeated 0-1 by Guinea, Africa's representative, on Thursday.
Shin Tae-yong, who also serves as the head coach of the senior national team, is now aiming for another milestone by taking Indonesia to the next round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Currently, Indonesia, which is in Group F, is in second place in the standings, below Iraq, which leads with 12 points.
Indonesia, with 7 points, is 4 points ahead of Vietnam and 6 points ahead of the Philippines at the bottom of the table. Only the group winner and runner-up will qualify for the third round. Garuda's team will face Iraq on June 6, and the Philippines on June 11.
