The Garuda team lost 0–2 to the Golden Dragon team on Monday, thus failing to reach the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup’s final. For a team from a football-crazed Indonesia, the loss was heartbreaking for many.

Some took to social media calling for the sacking of coach Shin Tae-Yong. The tag #STYOut has been trending among Indonesian fans. Some were calmer. They defended him. #STYSTAY has been trending as well. As of 11 Jan 2023, #STYSTAY appears to have an upper hand.

Before Shin Tae-Yong (2010–2020)

In the 10 years between 2010 and 2020, the Indonesian national team had been through 13 coaches, 7 of them foreigners. The highest achievements in this period are 2 AFF runner-ups in 2010 and 2016, both under coach Alfred Riedl. The team failed to pass the group stage in 2012, 2014, and 2018.

Compared with rivals in Southeast Asia, the Indonesian team has never won an AFF cup while Thailand leads with 6, Singapore with 4, Vietnam with 2, and Malaysia with 1.

In 2019, during the second round of the World Cup qualifier, the Indonesian team under coach Simon McMenemy failed all 5 matches with a goal difference of -13 scoring only 2 goals against Malaysia and 1 against Vietnam. 3 of these matches were on the home ground under the mighty and passionate support of Indonesian fans.

Current Reign

The Korean coach encountered harsh challenges initially. Inherited a team that failed to register any success for the past 4 years, the coach had much work to do. The Covid pandemic however hampered his work, putting a pause on all social gatherings including sports. International travel was halted too disrupting all training plans and resulting in some tension between the Korean coach and the Indonesian football body.

When international football returned, the Garuda team delivered an impressive performance with a 2–2 draw against Thailand in the second round of the World Cup qualifier. Even though they lost the next 2 matches against Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates, the Garuda enjoyed an unbeaten run of 8 matches to reach AFF 2020’s final against Thailand.

Despite failing to win the championship against Thailand with the best display of Chanathip Songkrasin and Teerasil Dangda, the team’s performance won praise from both home and rival fans. The coach also successfully introduced several young, energetic, and talented players such as Asnawi, Witan, and Arhan.

2022 continued very well for the Indonesian team under Shin Tae-Yong. Except for a 0–1 loss against Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup qualification, the team won against Kuwait, and Nepal to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In September’s friendly matches against Curacao — ranked 86 compared to Indonesia’s 142, the Indonesian won both.

Entering the 2022 AFF Championship, the Indonesian team is a hot favorite besides Vietnam and Thailand.

A Temporary Setback

The 0–2 loss to Vietnam in My Dinh stadium should be seen as a temporary setback. The Garuda’s performance in the tournament was in fact good until then. They won against Cambodia, Brunei, and the Philippines, and drew 1–1 against Thailand who was lucky to score the equalizer with 1 man down. In the goalless draw in the semifinal’s first leg, the Indonesian team was in fact the better team with at least 3 scoring chances in the first half.

The Korean coach’s hardworking, disciplined and energetic attitude has restored much status to Indonesia football. When the hot temper and the rivalry-fuel mocking subsides, football fans in Southeast Asia cannot deny the fact that Indonesia is now a serious challenger to the might of Vietnam and Thailand.

In 2023, we can look forward to the performance of his Under-20 Indonesian players in the 2023 U20 World Cup. Though nothing is certain in football, we can still agree that #STYSTAY is better for Indonesian football.