JAKARTA - The protests filed by PSSI regarding the assignment of a Kuwaiti referee in the match of the Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia national team were rejected by FIFA and the AFC. It is known that Ahmad Al Ali will continue to lead the 2026 World Cup Qualification Fourth Round match.
"The request of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) to change the Kuwaiti referee, Ahmad Al Ali, has been officially rejected, while at the same time maintaining a decision to continue to lead the Saudi Arabian match against the Indonesian national team in the 2026 Asian Zone World Cup Qualification on Wednesday (8/10/2025) local time," wrote the X account @iraqfpg quoted Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
Previously, it was known that the AFC had indeed appointed Ahmad Al Ali as the leader of the match between the Indonesian national team and Saudi Arabia at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Thursday, October 9, 2025, early morning WIB.
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PSSI immediately responded to this decision by sending a letter of protest regarding the appointment of the referee. The reason is quite clear, the origin of the referee who is both from the Middle East is suspected to be detrimental to the Garuda Squad.
Therefore, the Indonesian national team wants referees who lead to come from neutral areas. You see, this match is crucial for both teams in fighting for a place in the 2026 World Cup.
In addition, the Indonesian national team also had an unpleasant experience when led by the Kuwaiti referee, Ahmad Al Ali. This is not the first time he has played the main referee in the Garuda Squad match.
The moment occurred when the Indonesian national team fought Vietnam in the 2022 World Cup Qualification at Al Maktoum Stadium, United Arab Emirates, June 7, 2021. The Red-White Team fell 0-4 from Vietnam.
Reflecting on this experience, PSSI immediately protested at the beginning of the referee's announcement. However, FIFA's rejection clearly had to make the Garuda squad play vigilantly when they meet Saudi Arabia later.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
