Pioneers of Football in Indonesia, but Four Dutch Coaches Have Yet to Deliver Success

This article begins with the question, who was the pioneer in introducing football in Indonesia? Referring to the history of Indonesian civilization, the collective answer will undoubtedly point directly to the Dutch.

Indonesia, like other countries that were once under colonial control, was introduced to modern elements at that time, including football, by foreign powers that dominated the economic and socio-political landscape.

However, in the history of football in Indonesia, there is one name recognized by the Dutch East Indies government in the early 20th century as a pioneer in the proliferation of football in their territory. He was John Edgar, a Dutch student at HBS (Hoogere Burgerschool), a public high school for the Dutch East Indies in Surabaya.

Edgar developed a passion for football while attending elementary school in England. When he accompanied his parents on their assignment in Surabaya, he ordered several footballs from Singapore to play his favorite sport with friends in the yard of HBS.

Starting merely as a way to preserve a hobby, Edgar then established a football club named Victoria in September 1894, although some sources indicate September 1895. The month and year of Victoria's founding are regarded as the inaugural period of football's presence in the Dutch East Indies.

We have to improve and correct all our shortcomings. We have to win against Iraq. That's a fact. (Patrick Kluivert)

Edgar's services were immortalized as a football pioneer in the Dutch East Indies in the book entitled40 Jaar Voetbal Ned. Indie 1894-1934by W Berrety. Even though it has been forgotten, Edgar's football-mad spirit has remained alive since the Dutch East Indies changed to Indonesia since the proclamation of independence, August 1945.

As an independent nation, the All-Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) still often associates itself with the ties to the Netherlands. Most foreign coaches of the Indonesian national team have come from the "Land of Windmills." Five permanent coaches born in the Netherlands have led the team bearing the Garuda emblem on their chest, including Patrick Kluivert.

PSSI is actively working to "return" the Dutch atmosphere to the Indonesian national team through a massive naturalization program. A total of 18 players born in the Netherlands have taken an oath of allegiance as Indonesian citizens in order to represent the national team over the past two years.

Amidst the closely related historical factors, Dutch coaches have yet to bring luck and sweet achievements to the Indonesian national team. They have consistently failed to assist the "Garuda" team in breaking through to the world stage, whether in the World Cup or the Olympics.

Wiel Coerver is the first coach from the Netherlands to be contracted by PSSI since its affiliation with FIFA in 1952. Arriving in mid-1975, Coerver held the status of a UEFA Cup—now Europa League—winning coach with Feyenoord.

He was willing not to extend his contract with the giant Dutch club in order to accept a contract from PSSI. Coerver arrived in Indonesia accompanied by one of his assistants named Wim Hendriks.

Both are targeted to help the Indonesian national team reach the main stage of the 1976 Montreal Olympic football. Coerver prepared the team for about 10 months to form a strong squad that was just one match away from the Montreal Olympics.

Unfortunately, Indonesia's dream of reaching the Olympics for the second time in history was thwarted by North Korea. Risdianto and his teammates fell in a penalty shootout during the emotionally charged final match at the Main Stadium of Senayan, Jakarta.

"I came to Indonesia with high hopes. I am disappointed to find Indonesia lacking in fields, lacking clubs to accommodate Indonesian children who want to play football," said Coerver regarding his main reason for accepting the offer from PSSI.

He added, "I think in Indonesia, with its 130 million people and young people having a lot of free time, it should be possible to find millions of talented players." Coerver said this in an interview published in Kompas on August 15, 1975.

After the termination of the Coerver contract following the 1976 pre-Olympics in May 1976, PSSI turned to Frans van Balkom. At that time, Van Balkom was the coach of NIAC Mitra, a Galatama club, as of January 1980.

Despite having a distinctive name and being born in the Netherlands, Van Balkom came to Indonesia with an Australian passport. Van Balkom plunged Indonesia into a nadir during the pre-Olympics of 1980.

Indonesia suffered one of its biggest defeats against its regional rival, Malaysia, with a score of 1-6 in the 1980 Olympic qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur. Furthermore, Van Balkom is also the only coach of the Indonesian national team to have suffered a defeat against Brunei Darussalam. In that event, the Garuda team fell 2-3.

After appearing in the 1976 pre-Olympic finals, Indonesia only finished fifth out of the six teams in Group 2 of the 1980 pre-Olympic Games.

"As I saw more and more of the players here, I began to believe that Indonesia actually had the potential to become the strongest country in Asia. I understood why your country was so respected in the Asian region in the 1950s," Van Balkom said in the June 7, 1980, edition of Kompas.

The failure of these two coaches led PSSI to turn away from Dutch tacticians in the 1980s. Henk Wullems became the Dutch coach brought in by PSSI in the mid-1990s, specifically in 1997.

Handling the Indonesian squad, which is mostly composed of graduates from the Baretti program in Italy, Wullems failed to lead Indonesia to qualify for the 1998 World Cup. Indonesia ranked third in the first round of Group 5, losing to Uzbekistan and Yemen, with Garuda only outperforming fellow Southeast Asian team, Cambodia.

Entering the second decade of the new millennium, PSSI recruited Wim Rijsbergen, the fourth coach from the Netherlands. After helping Indonesia achieve an aggregate lead of 5-4 over Turkmenistan in the second round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Rijsbergen's contract was terminated in January 2012 due to the Indonesian national team sitting at the bottom of the temporary standings in Group E of the third round of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Indonesia was powerless against Iran, Qatar, and Bahrain.

The failure of the four coaches from the Netherlands looms over Patrick Kluivert. The 2-3 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the first match of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers forces Kluivert to exert his mind and energy for Indonesia to defeat Iraq in the second match, Sunday (12/10/2025) at 02:30 WIB.

"We have to improve and correct all our shortcomings. We have to win against Iraq. That's a fact," said Kluivert.

Only a victory over Iraq, the "Lions of Mesopotamia," can extend the breath of the Garuda squad towards the world stage next year. At the very least, Indonesia has the opportunity to continue its struggle into the fifth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which will take place next November.

Kluivert has been afforded luxuries compared to his four predecessors. This includes a team dominated by naturalized players, as well as the assistance of 16 Dutch-speaking individuals to prepare the team both technically and non-technically. It is no surprise that great expectations surround Kluivert to lift the "curse" of Dutch coaches with the Indonesian national team.