Julius OkorieJust like Nigeria appointed Éric Sékou Chelle with a mandate to guide the Super Eagles to the 2026 World Cup, Indonesia has appointed former Netherlands international, Patrick Kluivert, as head coach of Indonesia national team, Pusukan Garuda.
The former Barcelona ace, whose appointment was announced on Wednesday January 8, has been given the same mandate to guide Indonesia to the World Cup billed for United States and Canada.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe 48-year-old coach will take on the significant challenge of guiding Indonesia towards their first World Cup appearance since gaining independence in 1949.
The Indonesian national team predominantly features players born in the Netherlands who have been naturalized to compete for Indonesia.
According to a statement from the Indonesian Football Association, Kluivert has signed a two-year contract, valid from 2025 to 2027, with the possibility of an extension.
Kluivert’s arrival in Indonesia is anticipated on Saturday, followed by his formal introduction to the public the day after.
This appointment comes after the surprising departure of South Korean coach Shin Tae-Yong on Monday, who had brought Indonesia to the critical third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Currently ranked 127th in the FIFA standings, Indonesia had one World Cup appearance in 1938 under Dutch colonial rule.
Excitingly, Indonesia remains in contention for the 2026 World Cup, currently sitting third in their qualifying group after one victory and three draws in six matches.
READ ALSO:15 Things To Note About New Super Eagles Coach, Éric Sékou Chelle
The top two teams will qualify directly for North America, while the third and fourth-placed teams will move to a further round of qualifying.
A crucial match against Australia, who is just one point ahead in Group C, is set for March. Japan currently leads the group with a comfortable advantage
Patrick Stephan Kluivert, has featured in several coaching capacity though mostly as an assistant.
This will be the first time he will be fully in charge of a national team. The former Barcelona, AC Milan and Newcastle striker was Netherlands assistant coach between 2012 and 2014 and also assistant coach of indomitable lions of Cameroon between 2018 and 2019.
Football apparently runs in the family as Kluivert has four children,Quincy, Justin, Ruben and Shane. Justin, like his father, came through the Ajax youth setup, formerly played for Valencia and was capped for the Netherlands; as of August 2023 he played for Bournemouth. Ruben made his debut for Utrecht in 2022.
Kluivert as a player made 79 appearances for Netherlands national team the Orange, between 1994 and 2024 scoring 40 goals.
In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé as part of FIFA’s centenary observances. He is considered one of the best Dutch strikers of all time.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
