Behind The Umrah Moment Of Indonesian National Team Players, There Is Shin Tae-yong's Role

The Indonesian national team is undergoing preparations against Saudi Arabia (doc. PSSI).

JAKARTA - The Indonesian national team player was seen undergoing Umrah worship upon arrival in Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2026 World Cup Qualification Third Round. Behind the agenda, it turned out that there was the role of coach Shin Tae-yong who gave the opportunity to worship to his players.

This was revealed by the Chairman of the National Team Agency (BTN), Sumardji. Based on his statement, Shin Tae-yong realized that the Garuda Squad agenda was not too busy to make preparations. So, it allows players who are Muslim to perform Umrah.

"Today morning 08.00-12.00 (Saudi Arabia time) there is a loose time. Coach Shin (Tae-yong) conveyed that (players) who are Muslim carry out Umrah worship and at the same time pray together," Sumardji said in his statement quoted on Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Sumardji also said that the Umrah worship that was carried out with the players went smoothly without any problems. This condition makes the Indonesian national team's training agenda also not disrupted.

"I led the players to the Al-Haram Mosque. Everything went smoothly. The players have returned to the hotel and are ready for training," he said.

The presence of the Indonesian national team in Saudi Arabia is the agenda for the inaugural match of the 2026 Asian Cup Qualification. The inaugural match of the Garuda Squad will be played against Saudi Arabia at King Abdullah Stadium on September 6, 2024.

On that agenda, the Indonesian national team entered Group C with Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bahrain, and China. The 2026 Asian Zone World Cup qualification is played with a home and away system that runs from September 5, 2024 to June 10, 2025.