On the evening of September 9, U23 Indonesia lost 0-1 to U23 Korea in the final match of Group J of the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers. This result prevented the team from the archipelago from winning a ticket to the final round.
Speaking after the match, head coach Donald Vanenburg expressed his disappointment with the physical condition of his players, and criticized the domestic tournament system.
If we look back at tonights game, people will see that we can reasonably do many things. Once again, Indonesia has problems related to the physical condition of the players, who are barely allowed to compete in the tournament at home. My players are physically inferior, they have been exhausted since about the 60th minute.
According to the 61-year-old strategist, the young Indonesian player lacks the opportunity to play regularly in the national championship. Therefore, he suggested that more playgrounds should be created for this age group: If we look at Korea, they also have this tournament, and their young players play every week.
Therefore, there are two issues that need to be discussed. First of all, the physical aspect. And second, when the players return to the club, they really need playing time to be ready for a tournament like this.
Mr. Vanenburg has many years of experience leading European clubs such as PSV Eindhoven, 1860 Munich. In early 2025, he was appointed by the Indonesian Football Federation as an assistant head coach of the national team and co-head coach of the U23.
