Patrick Kluivert Appointed as the New Head Coach of Indonesia National Team

The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has officially named Patrick Kluivert as the new head coach of the national team. The Dutch coach has signed a two-year contract, running from 2025 to 2027, with an option for extension.



Kluivert will be supported by a team of assistants from the Netherlands, including Alex Pastoor and Denny Landzaat, alongside two local Indonesian coaches who will also serve as assistant coaches. Kluivert is widely regarded as a football legend in the Netherlands, having been one of the country's top strikers during his playing career. He enjoyed successful stints with several top European clubs, including Ajax Amsterdam, AC Milan, Barcelona, Valencia, Newcastle United, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille.

After retiring from playing in 2008, Kluivert immediately transitioned into coaching. He began his managerial career as an assistant coach at AZ Alkmaar, NEC Nijmegen, and Brisbane Roar, before taking on the head coach role at Jong Twente, where he led the team to a league title.

He also worked as an assistant coach under Louis van Gaal with the Netherlands national team, which finished third in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In 2015, Kluivert became the head coach of the Curaçao national team, managing them during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualifiers.

His coaching journey includes roles as sporting director at PSG and director of Barcelona's academy, as well as coaching Ajax’s U-19 team and assisting Clarence Seedorf with the Cameroon national team. Before his appointment in Indonesia, Kluivert coached Turkish club Adana Demirspor. He also served as the director of FC Barcelona’s youth academy.

Kluivert is expected to arrive in Indonesia on Saturday, January 11, 2025, and will be officially introduced to the public the following day. His first matches in charge of the national team will take place in March 2025, when Indonesia faces Australia at the Sydney Football Stadium on March 20 and Bahrain at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on March 25. These games are part of the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification in the Asian zone, Group C.