Bahrain coach criticizes Indonesia’s recruitment of Dutch players

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifier match at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Bahrain’s head coach Dragan Talajic openly criticized Indonesia’s recruitment strategy — specifically the decision to call up Dutch-born players.

During the pre-match press conference scheduled for Tuesday evening, Talajic questioned Indonesia’s reliance on foreign-based players:

“I really don’t know what to say. I watch many of Indonesia’s national team matches, and every time, there are new players — but none of them are actually from Indonesia,” Talajic stated.

“You have 300 million people, yet you bring players from the Netherlands.”

These comments surfaced as both teams finalize preparations for their crucial Group C third-round match, kicking off in Jakarta at 20:45 local time.