Soccer-Indonesia Sacks National Football Coach Shin, Citing World Cup Target

FOOTBALL / SOCCER - JAKARTA. Indonesia sacked South Korean Shin Tae-yong as its national soccer coach on Monday, the chief of its football association said, citing the need for better leadership as the country battles for a place in the 2026 World Cup.

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