AFC Considers Bahrain's Request To Play In A Neutral Place Against The Indonesian National Team

JAKARTA - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is considering a request by the Bahrain Football Federation (BFA) to move the Indonesia vs Bahrain match to neutral places.

This was disclosed by the AFC in their official statement on Friday, October 18, 2024.

"The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is aware of the concerns raised by the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) regarding the safety and security of their national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup Qualification away match against Indonesia which is scheduled for March 25, 2025."

"The AFC is taking this concern seriously and fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all players, officials and fans, while condemning all forms of harassment and threats online," the AFC statement read.

AFC will further discuss this issue with FIFA, BFA, and PSSI.

"The AFC will discuss this issue further with FIFA, BFA, and the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to create a safe and secure environment for all stakeholders involved in the match," wrote the AFC again.

Previously, it was known that BFA was afraid that the Bahrain national team would travel to the headquarters of the Indonesian national team next year.

This fear arose after the Indonesian national team supporters vented their anger with attacks on social media.

Garuda Squad supporters were furious after the match between Bahrain vs Indonesia was accused of being unfair. The victory of Shin Tae-yong's troops, which was thwarted by referee Ahmed Al Kaf's controversial decision.

The referee from Oman actually decided with the fourth official referee to give six minutes in injury time for the second half.

However, when the time was past six minutes, Ahmed Al Kaf never blew the long whistle. In the aftermath, Bahrain was able to score a 2-2 equalizer goal in the 90+9 minute.

The Indonesian national team's very upset supporters attacked a number of official social media belonging to BFA, the Bahrain national team, Bahrain players, AFC, and referee Ahmed Al Kaf.

Seeing the cyber attack, BFA was afraid to travel to Indonesian headquarters at the second meeting in the Third Round of the 2026 World Cup Qualification. BFA reasoned that the safety of the Bahrain national team players was threatened.

Meanwhile, PSSI has also opened its voice regarding Bahrain's fear. Through PSSI Executive Committee member Arya Sinulingga, the federation considered Bahrain unfair if it wanted to move the location of the match to a neutral place.

Arya further emphasized that PSSI is ready to take responsibility for the security of the Bahrain national team when traveling.

Apart from the chaos between Bahrain and Indonesia, the AFC does have the authority to move the arena of matches.

The proof is that they have just released that the match between Palestine vs South Korea on November 19, 2024 will be held at the Amman International Stadium, Jordan, as a neutral place.

However, the transfer was not without reason. The warming situation in Palestine was the reason the match was held in neutral places.