After the first four matches in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, the Indonesian team won 3 points after 3 draws and 1 loss. Coach Shin Tae-yong's students drew 1-1 with Saudi Arabia and 0-0 with Australia in September. In October, the team drew 2-2 with Bahrain and lost 1-2 to China.
On September 10, the match between Indonesia and Australia at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium was postponed from the original schedule, but FIFA only issued a warning without imposing any punishment. However, the incident recurred when Indonesia played against China on October 15. This resulted in Indonesia being fined 10,000 Swiss francs (about 290 million VND).
Previously, on October 10, Indonesia visited Bahrain. This match ended with many controversies related to the refereeing. Some members of the Indonesian team reacted strongly after the match ended.
The controversy arose from the referee Ahmed Al Kaf giving 6 minutes of extra time in the second half when Indonesia was leading 2-1. But in the 90+9 minute, Mohamed Marhoon scored the equalizer 2-2 for Bahrain.
Immediately after the match, the Indonesian coaching staff and players expressed their anger. A member of the Indonesian coaching staff was shown a straight red card, while defender Shayne Pattynama almost got into a fight with the Bahrain players. The referees had to be escorted off the field by security.
Based on the match supervisor's report, FIFA banned team leader Sumardji for one match and assistant coach Kim Jong-jin for four matches. Both were also fined 5,000 Swiss francs each.
