Referee's Protest Against Saudi Arabia Rejected, PSSI Tries to Accept Concession

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The protest from the All-Indonesian Football Association or PSSI regarding the appointment of a Middle Eastern referee for the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers has been rejected by the Asian Football Confederation or AFC. PSSI has accepted this decision and hopes that referee Ahmed Al-Ali will act neutrally while officiating the match between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Al-Ali is a referee from Kuwait appointed by the AFC to officiate the fourth round match scheduled for Thursday (9/10/2025) early morning WIB. However, according to PSSI, in a protest letter sent on September 12, the referee officiating the fourth round of the qualifiers should not come from the same region as one of the participating teams.

Kuwait is a country in the Middle East, the same region as Saudi Arabia and the Arab nations, two opponents of Indonesia in Group B of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. All matches in that group are held in Saudi Arabia, the country that will host the 2034 World Cup. Meanwhile, all matches in Group A are held in Qatar. In addition to the host team, that group includes the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

"Why was the match official from the Middle East, in this case Kuwait, appointed? After all, there are competent referees from other regions, such as Japan, South Korea, and Australia," said PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi in his press statement on Tuesday (7/10/2025).

The protest has been submitted by the Chairman of PSSI, Erick Thohir, to FIFA through AFC. However, in its response letter, AFC stated that it would not replace the referee for the match between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. They emphasized that the appointment of Al-Ali was in accordance with the established procedures.

"The appointment of refereeing teams from the same association is a standard practice widely implemented in international competitions. Referees affiliated with the region (of one of the competing teams) do not automatically create a conflict of interest, considering they are Elite AFC Referees who have been trained and are responsible for performing at their best without fear of bias," said AFC Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor John in his response letter to PSSI.

He also added that maintaining the highest quality and standards of referees in various competitions in Asia has become their commitment. "Ensuring the quality and professionalism of match officials will continue to be a priority for the AFC. We proudly state that the referees assigned are among the best in the world," Windsor John then stated.

In response to the AFC's answer, Yunus and PSSI chose to be resigned. "We can accept that decision because, after all, the appointment of referees is the authority of the AFC. We entrust this to the AFC. We are optimistic that the referee will officiate the match as neutrally and fairly as possible. We hope it will not be marred by bias," said Yunus.

Al-Ali had actually previously officiated a match involving Indonesia, specifically against Vietnam in the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. In that match held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on June 7, 2021, the "Garuda" team coached by Shin Tae-yong was humiliated by Vietnam, losing 0-4. Indonesia subsequently failed to advance to the next round. At that time, Shin had just replaced Simon McMenemy.

In the qualification for the 2026 World Cup, the fourth round matches held centrally will be very crucial. Each team will only compete twice. Indonesia will first face Saudi Arabia, before confronting Iraq on Sunday (12/10/2025) early in the morning WIB. In the match against Iraq, the appointed referee is Ma Ning from China.

Regarding the upcoming match, Saudi Arabia is optimistic about defeating Indonesia based on the historical encounters between the two teams. In the 16 meetings throughout history, Saudi Arabia has won 12 times, drawn 3 times, and lost only once. The solitary defeat, with a score of 0-2, was suffered by Saudi Arabia against the Garuda team coached by Shin during the third round of qualification in Senayan, Jakarta, in November 2024.

"This historic record provides significant moral support for the Green Falcons (the nickname of the Saudi national team) ahead of the upcoming match. The players will strive to assert their superiority. The national team is also experiencing an encouraging atmosphere and optimism," stated the Saudi media outlet, Kooora.