Patrick Kluivert’s tenure as Indonesia’s head coach has come to an end after both parties “mutually” agreed to part ways on Thursday, following the team’s unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the World Cup.
Indonesia’s World Cup dream ended after back-to-back defeats to Iraq and Saudi Arabia within the past week.
The 49-year-old former Netherlands and Barcelona star, who took up the role in January, led the team in just eight matches.
During his spell, he recorded three victories, four losses, and one draw.
In a post shared on Instagram, Kluivert described the experience as “an unforgettable journey”.
He continued: “Even though I’m deeply disappointed and sorry for the fact that we didn’t make it to the World Cup, I’ll always be proud of what we built together.”
Kluivert replaced South Korean Shin Tae-yong, who was controversially dismissed.
He had signed a two-year deal earlier in the year with the goal of guiding Indonesia to their first-ever World Cup appearance since independence in 1945.
According to the Football Association of Indonesia, PSSI, his exit was “through mutual termination”.
“This step was taken as part of a comprehensive evaluation of the national football coaching and development programme,” the statement read.
No successor has been announced yet.
Amsterdam-born Kluivert retired from professional football in 2008 after a distinguished career that began at Ajax, where he lifted the Champions League trophy, followed by moves to AC Milan and Barcelona.
His managerial journey has been far less illustrious.
His most recent role before Indonesia was a five-month stint in charge of Adana Demirspor in Turkey in 2023.
He also briefly served as caretaker coach of Curacao in 2021 and worked as assistant to Louis van Gaal with the Dutch national team between 2012 and 2014.