According to him, the success of the Indonesian national soccer team so far cannot be separated from the role and contribution of Mochamad Iriawan.
“We are one team. Football cannot be successful not only due to the good performance of the 11 players, but also the whole team. We can achieve success only when everyone works together as one team, from the players, the substitutes, coaching staff, officials, the federation including the chairman,” he said.
Many netizens criticized the 52-year-old former South Korean national team coach for defending the PSSI chairman. The hashtag #STYOut even trended on social media. Many viewed that Shin Tae-yong was being disrespectful toward the Kanjuruhan riot victims.
This is a reversal from the previous adoration of Shin Tae-yong who was considered a figure capable of bringing the Indonesian national team back on the right track. He, for example, managed to take the U-19 team to Asian Cup final which will kick off next year. Indonesia also managed to improve its FIFA ranking under his tutelage, reported CNN Indonesia on Thursday (13/10). (un)