Netherlands and Barcelona great Patrick Kluivert was officially announced as the new manager on Sunday, saying he aims to take soccer-mad Indonesia to its first World Cup since independence.
The 48-year-old former striker is inheriting a team comprised mainly of Dutch-born players who became naturalized to represent the Southeast Asian nation.
“Everyone knows we will play four games, four finals. We want to achieve what we want to achieve,” Kluivert said at a press conference in Jakarta.
“The most important thing is to have results and impact.”
According to the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), Kluivert has signed a two-year contract from 2025 to 2027 with an option for a two-year extension.
He arrived in Indonesia late Saturday along with former Dutch midfielder Denny Landsaert, who will serve as one of his assistant coaches.
The Dutchman was widely linked to the role after the Indonesian national team controversially sacked South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong on Monday.
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Singh led Indonesia, ranked 127th in the FIFA rankings, to the decisive Asian third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North American Qualifiers.
Indonesia has only participated in the World Cup once, in 1938, when it was under Dutch colonial rule.
Indonesia is in 3rd place in the qualifying group with 1 win and 3 draws from 6 games.
The top two finishers will go straight to North America, while third and fourth place will advance to another qualifying round.
Indonesia’s next qualifying round will be a decisive match against Australia in March. Australia are second in Group C of the Asian Qualifiers, but are only one point behind.
“Everyone needs the will to achieve this goal and we need to achieve this together. Everyone needs to support the team,” Kluivert added.
A PSSI source previously told AFP that Kluivert was chosen because of his ability to communicate with naturalized players, who primarily speak Dutch.
Born in Amsterdam, Kluivert retired as a player in 2008 after a glittering career that saw him win the Champions League with Ajax, before moving to AC Milan and then Barcelona.
Kluivert’s career as a director was not all that spectacular. His last coaching role was in 2023, when he spent five months in charge of Turkey’s Adana Demirspor.
Previously, in 2021, he served as interim manager of Curacao.
