Nasrullo Kabirov Referee, Shin Tae-yong Admits That The U-23 Indonesian National Team Player Mentally Fell

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team will face Australia U-23 in the second match of Group A of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. Before the match took place on Thursday, April 18, 2024, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Shin Tae-yong revealed that his players had fallen mentally.

This situation occurred after the inaugural match against Qatar U-23 on April 15, 2024. The controversial decision of referee Nasrullo Kabirov had a major impact on the defeat of the U-23 Indonesian national team to the host.

In that match, Nasurllo Kabirov rewarded Ivar Jenner with two yellow cards. He was also highlighted because of his decision not to give a red card to Qatari players who worked hard on Witan Sulaeman.

In addition, the judge also allowed the match to continue after Marselino Ferdinand received a deliberate push from Qatari players.

The referee's performance then made Shin Tae-yong claim to be dissatisfied. In fact, he clearly said that Kabirov would be a joke for football fans in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, in a statement ahead of the U-23 vs Australian U-23 Indonesian national team match, Shin Tae-yong again expressed the bad impact of the referee's decision on his team. He even admitted that the situation made the players mentally depressed.

He and the coaching team must work harder to restore the mentality of the players to be ready to rise and motivated to win over Australia.

"Indeed, there was injustice in the referee's decision yesterday. So, the player's atmosphere really fell, but there were still matches again."

"I tried to entertain the players. The players listened and could practice working hard well," Shin said in an official statement quoted on Thursday, April 18, 2024.

Seeing this situation, Shin Tae-yong hopes that not only will he be able to strengthen and entertain the players. However, he also hopes that the fans can raise the enthusiasm of the players ahead of Australia's opponents.

"Indeed, there was a lot of shame in yesterday's match. The players are really working hard, now too."

"So, I ask for full support from the Indonesian people for the players so that they can be entertained by the community and can be enthusiastic again," said the South Korean coach.

After the match against Qatar, the U-23 Indonesian national team must bounce back. The reason is, they are obliged to get full points to keep the chance of qualifying for the knockout round of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.

Currently, Garuda Muda is the lowest in Group A or one point behind Australia and Jordan, who previously played a goalless draw. While Qatar leads the standings with three points.

Tripoin is a fixed price. You see, the U-23 Indonesian national team must pursue the target of reaching the semifinals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup for tickets to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.