The Reasons Behind Shin Tae-yong's Contract Extension Decision

Shin Tae-yong and Erick Thohir discussed contract extensions (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The U-23 Indonesian national team coach, Shin Tae-yong, officially received an extension of his work contract until 2027.

The decision to extend cooperation is not just a matter of the performance of the coach. Erick Thohir as the General Chair (Ketum) of PSSI stated that the decision was made because of the road map for the Indonesian national team.

"Yes, I am committed (to extend PSSI's contract with Shin Tae-yong). Especially in the last agreement, which is to achieve the target of the last 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, coach Shin can achieve it," said Erick Thohir in a statement quoted on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

"So, we will continue the cooperation between PSSI and coach Shin," he said.

Erick Thohir said, the decision to extend Shin Tae-yong's contract was indeed in line with the need to build a strong and accomplished Indonesian national team. These points are included in the draft roadmap for the Indonesian national team until 2027.

The chairman of PSSI also said that currently Indonesian football is experiencing rapid development. It can be seen from the current golden generation of football with the presence of talented young players.

"Currently, we are having the golden generation of Indonesian football. We have young players, who are skills and mentally able to compete at the Asian and international levels."

"Moreover, the opportunity for them is very large to go further. This must be maintained as well as prepared by their successors in a short time," said Erick.

Shin Tae-yong's previous contract ended in December 2023. PSSI then extended the short-term contract for the South Korean coach for six months with the target of passing two national teams, the senior Indonesian national team and the U-23 to the knockout stages of the 2023 Asian Cup and the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup which were both played in Qatar.

The two conditions above seem to be able to be surpassed by Shin Tae-yong, who in other words met the target. The 53-year-old coach is also confirmed to continue to handle the Red and White team until 2027.