August 26, 2025 | 06:20 am
The Chair of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Erick Thohir, stated that he will send a strong warning letter to Kuwait after they canceled a friendly match against the Indonesian national team, which was scheduled to take place in Surabaya, East Java in September.
According to Erick, the cancellation was made when all preparations for the match had been completed. "We have sent a strong letter to Kuwait. We will report (Kuwait) to the AFC (Asian Football Confederation)," Erick said, after announcing Alexander Zwiers as the Technical Director of PSSI at Hotel Mulia, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Monday night, August 25, 2025.
Erick explained that the content of the strong warning letter was regarding Kuwait canceling the planned friendly tournament. Previously, PSSI had scheduled two teams to participate in this competition, namely Kuwait and Lebanon. "The content was about them canceling their visit, especially to us, and there were several tournaments," he said.
Erick admitted that there were losses incurred after Kuwait failed to have a friendly match with the Garuda national team. He did not specify the amount of the losses after PSSI had been selling tickets to prospective spectators since August 19. The cheapest ticket price was IDR 75,000. "Yes..., there certainly were. That's why we are trying to find another opponent," he said.
When asked if he would replace Kuwait with Jordan-one of the countries in the Middle East, Erick dismissed it. He mentioned that Jordan had already qualified for the 2026 World Cup. "Jordan cannot," said the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).
Initially, PSSI had scheduled a friendly match against Kuwait on September 5 and Lebanon on September 8 as part of the Garuda Championship Series. However, then a letter came from Kuwait stating the cancellation. "Regarding the internal matter (in Kuwait), I don't know, I don't live in Kuwait, so I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing," Erick said regarding the cancellation.
The friendly match was designed to sharpen the tactics, player composition, and mental resilience of the Garuda team ahead of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, as Indonesia will face Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the fourth round of qualifiers in October 2025.
Prior to this, PSSI stated that Kuwait and Lebanon were chosen because both are teams from the Middle East, similar to the opponents of the Garuda team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, namely Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Currently, the Indonesian national team coach, Patrick Kluivert, has called up 27 players, consisting of 10 players from the BRI Super League and 15 players from foreign competitions.
Editor's Choice: Indonesia vs. Kuwait and Lebanon: Tickets on Sale for FIFA Matchday
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