List of Coaches Who Have Coached the Indonesian National Team the Longest, Including Shin Tae-yong

Indonesia's national U-23 team defeated South Korea in a thrilling 11-10 penalty shootout at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, April 26, 2024, in the Asian Cup U-23 match.

Before the penalty shootout, the two teams played to a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes. Indonesia's goals were scored by Rafael Struick (15' and 45'+3). South Korea's goals were scored by Komang Teguh (own goal, 45') and Lee Young Jun (84').

Indonesia's victory prevented South Korea from securing a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics. South Korea had consistently qualified for the Olympics every year since 1998 until 2020.

Coach Shin Tae-yong's performance in guiding the Garuda team has been widely praised. Although the match was emotionally charged for him due to playing against his home country, Tae-yong remained committed to giving his best for the Indonesian U-23 national team.

"Clearly, I'm very happy. However, a part of me feels a little sad inside," said Shin Tae-yong, as quoted by Bola.net on Friday, July 26, 2024.

Tae-yong has been coaching the Indonesian national team since 2019. Now, PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir has offered him a contract extension.

The new contract is planned to extend until 2027, a reward for his hard work in achieving PSSI's major targets: reaching the Round of 16 in the Asian Cup and the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup U-23.

"I haven't signed the contract yet. I've had good talks with the PSSI President [Erick]. I think I will extend the contract," said Shin Tae-yong, as quoted by CNN Indonesia from SBS on Friday, April 26, 2024.

Tae-yong has had a relatively long career with the Indonesian national team, five years. This does not include the new contract until 2027.

The coach with the longest tenure for the national team is Antun Pogacnik, approximately nine years from 1954-1963.

'Toni' Pogacnik is said to be the first coach to lay the foundation for modern football in Indonesia. He even took the Garuda squad to training centers in several Eastern European countries at that time.

Other coaches with long tenures include Erenst Albert (EA) Mangindaan (1966-1970) and Anatoly Polosin (1987-1991), both coaching for about four years.

EA Mangindaan is among the founding figures of PSSI. As Pogacnik's assistant coach, he played a role in Indonesia holding the European football champion, the Soviet Union, to a 0-0 draw in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in Australia, as quoted from iNews.

Meanwhile, Anatoly Polosin, known as the 'Iron Hand', successfully led the Indonesian national team to win the gold medal at the 1991 SEA Games. His training methods were known to be very tough and disciplined, often overwhelming players to the point of resignation.

Another coach is Peter Withe, who served from 2004-2007 (three years). He only managed to take the national team to the group stage of the 2004 Asian U-20 Cup, as reported by Kompas.

(Also read: Winning on Penalties, Indonesia's National Team Advances to the Semi-finals of the 2024 Asian U-23 Cup)