John Herdman Set for PSSI Evaluation After Indonesia’s AFF Failure
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) is set to evaluate the performance of head coach John Herdman after he failed to guide the Indonesian national team into the semi-finals of the 2026 AFF Championship.
PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi confirmed that the federation will review Herdman’s performance following Indonesia’s disappointing campaign at the tournament.
Indonesia’s run came to an end in the group stage after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Singapore in their final Group A fixture. Playing at Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Friday night, the Garuda were unable to secure the victory they needed to advance.
“Yes, as is always the case, the chairman (Erick Thohir) will hold discussions and conduct an evaluation after every event, regardless of whether our national team performs well or not. This includes the national team’s failure at the AFF Championship,” Yunus Nusi told reporters, including Vivagoal, at the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Jakarta on Monday morning.
“It was supposed to take place tonight, but the chairman suddenly had another Ministry-related engagement. Perhaps the evaluation will take place in the coming days,” he added.
This is the second consecutive AFF Championship in which Indonesia have failed to reach the semi-finals. In 2024, when the team was still coached by Shin Tae-yong, the Garuda also crashed out in the group stage after finishing third in Group B.
The latest setback also extends Indonesia’s disappointing record at the AFF Championship. Since the tournament was first established in 1996, Indonesia have never lifted the Southeast Asian title.
Indonesia have reached the final six times, but each appearance has ended in defeat. As a result, Indonesia remain the team with the most runners-up finishes in the history of the competition.
