Indonesia's 'abandoned' defender gloating after losing World Cup ticket?

The "first generation" naturalized center back of Indonesian football is making the domestic press and fans feel confused.

Elkan Baggott (left) angered Indonesian fans with a social media post - Photo: AFP

The Indonesian team has officially had to stay home to watch the 2026 World Cup, after two defeats against Saudi Arabia and Iraq. All the effort and money poured into the naturalization policy suddenly became meaningless.

After the loss to Iraq, the Indonesian coaching staff and players collapsed from the field to social media. President of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) Erick Thohir also showed a look of dismay and disappointment when the goal of going to the World Cup did not come true.

But not everyone seems to be disappointed. That was the case with Elkan Baggott, a British-born midfielder who plays for Blackpool on loan from Ipswich Town. Just hours after Indonesia’s defeat, he posted a picture on his Instagram story of himself enjoying an NFL game between the New York Jets and Denver Broncos.

This story has made many people feel angry, because most of the Indonesian players, whether called up or not, expressed sadness and regret. Meanwhile, Elkan Baggott showed a happy and comfortable attitude.

The criticism was even stronger when it had been a long time since the defender last posted anything new on social media. He almost "disappeared", then suddenly reappeared at the time when Indonesia had just lost the ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

It may be just a random post and not imply anything from Baggott. However, the current time is quite sensitive for Indonesian football, so he has received a lot of criticism.

Elkan Baggott has been playing for the youth teams and then the Indonesian national team since 2020. He is considered one of the "first generation" players in Indonesia's ambitious naturalization policy towards the 2026 World Cup, even before Mr. Erick Thohir took office at PSSI.

Baggott is 1.96m tall and plays football in England for traditional clubs such as Ipswich Town, Bristol Rovers, Blackpool,...

At first, he performed very well and was loved by Indonesian fans. But later, disciplinary and professional problems made him almost "disappear" from the team.

Baggott repeatedly refused the call-up to focus on the club, even though he was not injured. Along with that, when PSSI under president Erick Thohir promoted the naturalization policy and brought in many new central defenders such as Jay Idzes, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Jordi Amat, Sandy Walsh,... Elkan Baggott became redundant.

Coaches Shin Tae Yong and Patrick Kluivert did not see him as the solution for the team, even though Indonesia faced a storm of injuries at times.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hau-ve-bi-ruong-bo-cua-indonesia-ha-he-khi-mat-ve-di-world-cup-20251013114745615.htm