Trainer Patrick Kluivert is leaving after eleven months as national coach of the Indonesian football team. Under Kluivert’s leadership, the Indonesian team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. According to the Indonesian Football Association, Kluivert and assistants Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat parted ways “by mutual consent”, according to a statement published on Thursday.
The dismissal of the 49-year-old coach follows the 1-0 loss of the qualifying match against Iran last Friday. As a result, Indonesia lost its last chance to participate in the tournament in Canada, the US and Mexico in 2026. Because Indonesia previously lost to Saudi Arabia, a place in the play-off for the tournament is no longer a possibility.
Kluivert was appointed for two years in January to help Indonesia qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1938. In eight matches he won three times, lost four times and drew once. The Dutch trainer thanks the fans in a statement on his Instagram page. “We did not reach the World Cup, but we did lay a new foundation on which we can build with confidence,” said the outgoing coach.
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In 2015, Kluivert was national coach for the Curaçao team. He also had the task of leading the country to the 2018 World Cup. However, Curaçao’s national team was eliminated in the third round of the play-off for the final tournament, after a defeat against El Salvador.
A year later, the trainer left for the French club Paris Saint-Germain to work as technical director. Kluivert was able to leave after less than a year due to a disappointing season. The club appointed the Portuguese Antero Henrique as his successor at the time.
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