Recently, the Indonesian team received bad news when they appointed a referee team from Kuwait to officiate the match with Iraq. Notably, before that, AFC promised not to arrange West Asian referees to officiate Indonesia's matches with Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia does not agree to let Kuwaiti referee officiate the match against Iraq (Photo: PSSI).
Faced with this situation, PSSI sent a letter to AFC requesting a change in referee assignments. PSSI President Erick Thohir was concerned that West Asian referees would make decisions that would favor the two clubs in this region.
“We have sent an official letter to the AFC regarding the Kuwaiti referee assigned to officiate the match against Iraq,” Mr. Thohir said.
Thohir suggested that the AFC should appoint referees from more neutral regions such as Japan, Australia, China or even Europe. “We are trying to lobby for referees from more neutral locations such as Australia, Japan, China or even Europe,” he added.
According to Mr. Thohir, assigning referees from other regions not only protects Indonesia but also maintains FIFA's fair-play principles. He shared: "Although football was created for health purposes and the goal of sport is above all, in reality, things like this still happen."
PSSI President Erick Thohir has filed a lawsuit with the AFC, requesting a change of referee (Photo: PSSI).
Notably, in the recent 2026 World Cup third qualifying round match, AFC assigned Omani referee Ahmed Akaf to officiate the match between Indonesia and Bahrain. The match ended in controversy when referee Ahmed Akaf added more than 10 minutes of injury time (while the scoreboard only announced 6 minutes). This created conditions for Bahrain to equalize 2-2 in the final minutes of injury time.
Afterwards, Indonesian fans vented their anger on the Omani referee. PSSI also filed a complaint to AFC and FIFA regarding the controversial decision of referee Ahmed Akaf.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/indonesia-gui-don-kien-len-afc-vi-bat-cong-o-vong-loai-world-cup-20250916202604408.htm
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