JAKARTA - John Herdman was officially introduced by PSSI as the coach of the Indonesian National Team on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Although he has not fully carried out his duties, he admitted that he has been communicating with the Garuda Squad players.
In his new responsibilities as coach of the Indonesian National Team, Herdman was immediately faced with the challenge of being able to guide the team to perform well in the international event in the form of the FIFA Series in March 2026.
John Herdman has not directly gone to the field to prepare, but the coach admitted that he had approached Jay Idzes and his friends.
"We have a good opportunity in March, to start a step together. I have started to communicate with the captain (Jay Idzes) and some key figures."
"I have contacted more than 60 players to let them know that I am here and I am paying attention," said Johan Herdman during an introduction session in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Through communication that has been established with the players, Herdman wants to get information to build a team and wants to evaluate the causes of the players' failure to step into the next stage of the 2026 World Cup Qualification. According to him, this is a short-term goal for the Indonesian National Team.
"(The target) in the short term is to hear and understand the situation from the previous World Cup Qualifiers and conduct an evaluation," said Herdman.
After understanding the explanation of the players, Herdman will take a stance to carry out the initial stage of handling the Red-White Squad.
"Players must have standards. With the 15-20 years of experience I have, including taking the team to the World Cup, I am sure I can," said Herdman.
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