Jean-Paul van Gastel reveals his unfamiliarity with PSIM Yogyakarta

Jean-Paul van Gastel reveals an interesting fact — he was completely unfamiliar with PSIM Yogyakarta before receiving the head coach position offer.

The Dutch coach then conducted thorough research about Laskar Mataram’s history — this became a consideration before finally accepting the club management’s offer.

“Honestly, I didn’t know,” van Gastel told Tribun Jogja.

The former Feyenoord Rotterdam assistant coach explained that Indonesian football now receives special attention from Dutch society — this is tied to the impressive performance of the Indonesian National Team in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

“The most important thing now is that Indonesian football is getting attention because the National Team is doing quite well as they are now fighting to soon enter the World Cup,” he added.