John Herdman Gets a Positive First Impression in Front of the Indonesian National Team Supporters

JAKARTA - Indonesia National Team coach John Herdman got a positive first impression when he made his debut with the Garuda Squad at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Friday, March 27, 2026, WIB night.

The English coach made his debut as the architect of the Indonesian National Team by leading his team to a 4-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis in the 2026 FIFA Series match.

The victory brought the Red-White Team to play in the final to challenge Bulgaria on Monday, March 30, 2026.

"As I said before, the atmosphere here is unique, very unique. The national anthem is so powerful, you can feel the connection there."

"What happened at the end of the game, I've never seen it in my football career, being able to connect with the supporters in that way, it's very special."

"You have to connect, you know, our goal is to connect this country from every island, across the thousands of miles we need, and we will give everything for you," Herdman told a news conference after the match.

Herdman further hopes that the Indonesian national team supporters will continue to accompany his students in difficult times.

"I'll tell you that, we'll give everything to these supporters. We just hope that the supporters, in the most difficult moments for us, they also give everything for us because there will be difficult times," said Herdman.

Furthermore, the Indonesian National Team will face Bulgaria in the 2026 FIFA Series final. Bulgaria advanced to the final after defeating the Solomon Islands with a landslide score of 10-2.

Herdman is very aware of Bulgaria, which is one of the top teams in Europe. Even so, he also needs to rotate players to assess all the qualities of his team.

"There are only a few days to train (before the Bulgaria match), three days. I need to test the whole roster and get to know the players' characters."

"Bulgaria is definitely a top team with its European style. They beat the Solomon Islands who came here (FIFA Series 2026) to enjoy this big moment," said Herdman.