Holiday Ayo -  The Indonesian U-20 national team has been officially eliminated early from the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup after suffering two consecutive defeats. Their campaign began with a crushing 0-3 loss against Iran on Thursday (13/2/2025), followed by another disappointing 1-3 defeat to Uzbekistan on Sunday (16/2/2025). These results have raised serious concerns about the team’s competitiveness at the Asian level under head coach Indra Sjafri.

Over the course of two matches, Indonesia U-20 managed to score only one goal, courtesy of Jens Raven. This outcome is particularly disheartening, given the months-long preparation period, including overseas training camps and friendly matches, which ultimately failed to yield significant improvements.

This disappointing performance has fueled speculation regarding Indra Sjafri’s future. Vietnamese media outlet Soha.vn even predicted that the coach would be dismissed after the tournament.

"It is highly likely that after this tournament, coach Indra Sjafri will also have to leave the team," Soha.vn reported on Sunday (16/2/2025).

The prediction is not without basis. The media compared Indra Sjafri’s situation to PSSI’s controversial decision to dismiss Shin Tae-yong. While Shin’s dismissal was seen as lacking transparency—given that his failure in the 2024 AFF Cup was not part of his contract obligations—Indra Sjafri’s case is different. He failed to meet PSSI’s explicit target of leading Indonesia U-20 to the semifinals of the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup and securing a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Soha.vn also highlighted Indonesia’s poor performance in the tournament. The two heavy defeats underscored the team’s inability to compete at the expected level. All five goals conceded resulted from crosses that the Indonesian defense failed to handle effectively, exposing critical weaknesses in their tactical setup.

With this disastrous outcome, Indra Sjafri’s future as head coach of Indonesia U-20 remains uncertain. PSSI now faces a crucial decision in determining the next steps to rebuild a more competitive squad for future international challenges.