Successful in the Super League, PSIM Yogyakarta Will Extend Contract with Coach Van Gastel

JAKARTA - PSIM Yogyakarta coach Jean Paul van Gastel achieved success in his debut in handling the Indonesian Super League team. The success of bringing the promotion team to the top made Van Gastel to be awarded a new contract by PSIM.

The success of the doubles coach Van Gastel because this is the first time he has coached in Indonesia. Not only that, Van Gastel also holds a team that appears as the Liga 2 champion so that it is promoted to the highest class.

Like the new teams playing in the Super League, previously, the 1st League, they still need adaptation and often have difficulty competing with elite teams, Persija Jakarta, Persib Bandung, PSM Makassar, Bali United, Borneo FC to Persebaya Surabaya.

Strong teams that have been wandering in the highest class competition. Even the President Director of PSIM Yuliana Tasno only targets to survive first in the Super League because they are realistic after struggling in the second class for quite some time.

However, Van Gastel managed to polish PSIM into a team that started to be taken into account. With the team's material without star players, the touch of this Dutch coach was able to turn Laskar Mataram into a solid team with efficient and effective play.

As a result, PSIM has made a surprise by defeating Persebaya 1-0 in the first match of the Super League. A very meaningful victory or more than just three points because it was achieved at the opponent's home in Surabaya.

While the victory was considered an early surprise, PSIM proved it again by taking points when facing two elite teams, Arema FC and Persib. They forced the two teams to play a draw 1-1. PSIM's consistency led them to occupy sixth place in the standings.

The success of PSIM to survive in the top division shows that management did not make a mistake in choosing a coach. Even manager Razzi Taruna said that choosing the right coach was the most crucial factor behind the team's performance.

"The decision to appoint a head coach is the main foundation in building the consistency of the team's game. This is what makes us not rush and very serious in looking for a coach. The reason is that we have to be able to get a figure who not only has a strong track record, but also in line with the club's character and players," said Razzi in a casual discussion at the PSIM Store at Wisma PSIM, Yogyakarta, Thursday, January 15, 2026 afternoon WIB.

"If you look back, the key is indeed in the selection of the coach. We really look for the right one, and thank God we finally found it," he said.

So careful in choosing a coach, Razzi even had a dispute with Yuliana Tasno as the CEO of PSIM. Because of that, the CEO, who is familiarly called Liliana, assessed that Razzi had taken too long to determine the coach.

"We even had a dispute and it was very hot just to appoint a coach. He [Razzi] took too long to appoint a coach. Even though there are still many things to be resolved such as team preparation, player contracts," said Liliana.

"However, the cautious and careful attitude of the manager is not wrong by appointing coach Van Gastel," he said.

The success of bringing PSIM to the top made the management consider extending the coach's contract. Razzi stated that PSIM was not just building a short-term relationship with the coach.

Management wants to establish a sustainable cooperation for the stability of the team. However, he is aware that there is still a dynamic of pros and cons in the public space with plans to provide a new contract for the coach. Moreover, the competition is still halfway through so it is not known where PSIM's last position is.

"We really want to establish a longer-term cooperation. And, this has begun to be designed in preparation for getting there," said Razzi.

"We ask for support first. Criticism is mandatory, but give trust. His experience is far above us, and so far every decision has always had a clear basis," he said.

According to Razzi, PSIM's journey this season is still long. Of the total 26 players, some are still recovering from injuries. A number of players such as Yusaku Yamadera have started to rejoin training. Meanwhile, several other names are still being handled by the medical team and physical trainer to pursue ideal conditions.