Appointed in 2020, the South Korean boss had led Indonesia to the third round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup for the first time. In November, the team defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 to move into third place in the six-team group with four games remaining.

Tens of millions of people in the Southeast Asian nation are passionate football fans, but Indonesia's sole World Cup appearance came during Dutch rule in 1938 and the country has rarely threatened a return since independence in 1945.