Indonesia sends complaint to FIFA for referee's conduct in Bahrain ...

Referee Ahmed Al Kaf (4th, L) officiated the match between Bahrain and Indonesia in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Oct. 10, 2024. Photo by AFC

The match, held on Thursday night at Bahrain National Stadium, saw the hosts take the lead in the 15th minute thanks to Mohamed Marhoon’s goal. Indonesia responded with goals from Ragnar Oratmagoen and Rafael Struick to turn the game around. They held this advantage through six minutes of added time, as announced by the fourth referee. During this time, there were not many interruptions to the game. However, referee Al Kaf extended the added time for three more minutes, and in the very last play, Marhoon scored to secure a 2-2 draw for Bahrain.

Indonesian news agency Antara reported that PSSI would file a letter of complaint to FIFA on Friday morning. "We are very disappointed with the refereeing," said PSSI executive member Arya Sinulingga. "It seemed like they extended the added time just to allow Bahrain to score an equalizer."

Immediately after conceding the last-minute goal, Indonesia coaching staff and players reacted furiously to the Omani referee. On the sidelines, head coach Shin Tae-yong and team leader Kombes Pol Sumardji confronted the fourth official and criticized the decisions of the main referee. Sumardji was subsequently sent off.

When Indonesia got the ball into play after conceding the second goal, referee Al Kaf blew the final whistle. Indonesia players and coach Shin continued to approach the Al Kaf to question his decisions. Match organizers had to intervene to cool the situation down and security was there to escort the referee team out of the stadium.

Near the tunnel, Indonesia and Bahrain players began arguing. Shayne Pattynama was the most vocal and a South Korean assistant coach had to hold him back and push him away from the crowd.

Coach Shin remained angry during the post-match press conference. He stated that anyone who watched the game would sympathize with the frustration of Indonesia players, as the referee's decisions appeared "biased".

This is Shin's latest strong reaction against referees, following a similar incident during Indonesia's run in the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup, where they lost 0-2 to hosts Qatar in the opening match. During the intercontinental playoff match for Olympic qualification, Shin harshly criticized French referee Francois Letexier for giving a penalty that led to Indonesia's 0-1 loss to Guinea, which denied them a spot in Paris. Shin was shown a direct red card and fined by FIFA for his actions.

PSSI's Instagram and Indonesian football forums have attracted tens of thousands of comments, calling for referee Al Kaf to be banned from duty. Many fans have criticized the Omani referee on his social media accounts, while others have taken to AFC’s social media to accuse the federation of bias.

The draw dropped Indonesia to fifth place in group C of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They had previously drawn against strong opponents Saudi Arabia and Australia. Coach Shin and his team are now aiming for third or fourth place to advance to the fourth round of qualification.

In their next match on Oct. 15, Indonesia will face bottom-placed China, who have lost all three of their matches so far.