Indonesia's Influence Spreads in Asian Futsal

Have you ever imagined Indonesia having a professional sports competition that shapes a generation of great coaches in Asia? Certainly, it is not in football, but rather in the futsal arena.

The 2026 Futsal Asian Cup serves as a stage for new coaches in two giant teams from Asia. They are Japan and Thailand, who are currently rebuilding their strength in the region.

Japan, for instance, reached a low point after suffering the failure to advance past the knockout stage of the Asian Cup for the first time in the 2024 edition. As a four-time Asian champion—second only to Iran's 13 trophies—this achievement is quite embarrassing.

The "Samurai Five" team has consistently reached at least the semifinals in 15 out of their 17 previous participations in Asia's largest futsal stage. This has prompted the Japan Football Association (JFA) to implement changes for their futsal team.

Kensuke Takahashi has been appointed as the coach of the national futsal team since July 2024. Under Takahashi, Japan has once again advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup.

Competing in Group C, Japan defeated Australia and Tajikistan to secure a ticket to the knockout stage in the first two matches. Specifically against Tajikistan, Japan holds a negative memory from Thailand 2024 due to losing to the former Soviet Union team in the qualifying round.

In the perspective of the futsal world in Indonesia, Takahashi is not a foreign figure. He arrived in Indonesia in 2018 at the age of 36 to coach the Indonesian national futsal team.

From 2018 to 2021, Takahashi held the mandate as the tactical coach for the senior men's and women's teams as well as the U-20 men's team "Garuda." The coach from Asahikawa, Japan, nurtured a new strength in Indonesian futsal by leading Indonesia to the finals of the 2019 AFF Futsal Cup. Indonesia had to wait for 11 years to appear in the championship's peak match in ASEAN.

Although not awarding a championship title, Takahashi laid the foundation for the Indonesian national futsal team. Key players of the current Indonesian national futsal team, including Mochammad Iqbal, Ardiansyah Nur, and Syauqi Saud, have experienced Takahashi's skilled guidance in the national team.

Takahashi's expertise in Indonesia has earned him the trust of the JFA to coach the Japan U-20 futsal team for the 2021–2024 period while also serving as an assistant coach for the senior Japan team.

"I am happy to be back in Indonesia and to meet again with many people I know. My mission right now is to achieve the best targets together with Japan," said Takahashi after his team defeated Australia on Wednesday (28/1/2026) at the Indonesia Arena, Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Rakphol Sainetngam has decided to return to his home country to coach the Thailand national team after five years of career abroad, including in Indonesia. He will take charge of the Thailand national team starting January 1, 2026, making the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup his first tournament with the "War Elephants" squad.

Previously, Sainetngam led Thailand in the 2021 Futsal World Cup, leading them to the round of 16.

In the midst of his first term managing Thailand, Sainetngam has actually been building his impressive career in the Indonesian Pro Futsal League. The stout coach managed Black Steel Manokwari during the period of 2020–2023.

In his inaugural season coaching the pride of the Papuan community, Sainetngam immediately delivered the title of the Pro Futsal League for the 2020–2021 season. Not only at the national level, Sainetngam also led Black Steel to victory in the ASEAN Futsal Club Championship 2023.

In the final match, Black Steel defeated the team from Thailand, Hongyen Thakam, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. This became the highest club-level title for Sainetngam.

Sainetngam's mission with Thailand in this second period is not easy. He must restore Thailand's hegemony in the competition of futsal in the ASEAN region, and then maintain the achievement of reaching the final of the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup.

The experience of Sainetngam is needed as Thailand has faced consecutive defeats against Indonesia in the last two years at the 2024 AFF Futsal Cup and the 2025 SEA Games. However, Sainetngam is reluctant to focus on those two failures.

"I am not thinking about that. With the new generation of the Thai national team, I want the team to perform well in this Futsal Asian Cup. At the very least, we want to reach the semifinals," said Sainetngam after leading Thailand to the top of Group B following their victory over Vietnam 1-0 at the Indonesia Arena, Saturday (31/1/2026).

Regarding the potential encounter with the Indonesian national team in international events, both the 2026 Futsal Asian Cup and the 2026 AFF Futsal Championship in April, Sainetngam welcomed this positively.

"I know several Indonesian players well whom I have coached. They are like my children. We have a good relationship, but in matches, we compete," said Sainetngam.

In addition to those two coaches, the best futsal player in ASEAN at present, Muhamad Osamanmusa, has opened the door wide to continue his career one day in the Indonesian Pro Futsal League. Osamanmusa is currently the only ASEAN player who is pursuing a career in Europe.

Thailand's mainstay pivot plays for the Spanish club Jimbee Cartagena, which regularly plays in the European Futsal Champions League.

"I still have a contract with the club at the moment. However, I acknowledge that the competition in Indonesia is one of the high-quality leagues in Asia," said 28-year-old Osamanmusa.

It has been recorded that there are already eight players from the Thailand national futsal team who have had careers in Indonesia. Thailand is the second-largest exporter of futsal players after Iran (12 players) since the Indonesian Pro Futsal League was initiated in 2006.

The current state and quality of Indonesian futsal is recognized at the continental level, an achievement still coveted by football.