DIGIVESTASI - The Indonesian national team must be willing to see victory in sight disappear in the third match of the 2026 World Cup Qualification for the Asian zone Group C against Bahrain on Thursday (9/10/2024), colored by the controversial decisions of referee Ahmed Abu Bakar Said Al-Kaf.

In the match that took place at the Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Indonesia had a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Ragnar Oratmangoen (45+3') and Rafael Struick (73'), after previously falling behind due to Mohamed Marhoon's free kick goal (15'). However, Bahrain managed to equalize in the 90+9th minute through Marhoon's second goal, taking advantage of a corner.

This equalizer was triggered by a referee's decision that was considered controversial, making Indonesian national team coach Shin Tae-yong furious. He accused the referee from Oman of acting unfairly, even giving sharp criticism to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the press conference after the match.

“If the AFC wants Asian football to progress, the quality of referees must be improved,” said Shin Tae-yong.

PSSI also stated that it would submit an official protest letter to FIFA regarding the leadership of referee Al-Kaf in the match.

1. Extra Time Controversy

One of the most debated decisions was extra time in the second half. Although the fourth referee Qasim Al-Hatmi gave an extra six minutes, the match continued until the 90+11th minute, allowing Bahrain to score the equalizer. In fact, throughout the second half there were not many incidents that stopped the match except for the celebration of Indonesia's second goal.

The decision to give more than three minutes of extra time for no apparent reason made the emotions of Indonesian players and officials peak. Shayne Pattynama even had to be calmed down by the coaching staff, while national team manager Sumardji was red carded by Al-Kaf.

2. Foul Decisions that Harmed Indonesia

Throughout the match, referee Al-Kaf was also considered to have often made one-sided decisions that were detrimental to Indonesia. The Garuda team was hit 27 times by fouls, while Bahrain only 10 times. One incident occurred in the 60th minute when Rafael Struick was fouled in front of the Bahrain penalty box, but the referee did not award a free kick and only decided on a drop ball, surprising the Indonesian players.

During his career, referee Al-Kaf has issued 346 yellow cards from 115 matches, as well as 11 red cards, including to Indonesian manager Sumardji in this match.

3. Spotlight on VAR

The decisions of the VAR referee led by Kuwait's Abdullah Al-Kandari also drew criticism. VAR only reviewed Indonesia's first goal scored by Ragnar Oratmangoen to check for possible offside for almost three minutes, but did not review Bahrain's final goal which was potentially offside.

If Indonesia can hold on to their lead, the Garuda team should finish second in the Group C standings with five points, behind Japan who lead the way with a perfect record from three matches. Bahrain, meanwhile, remain in fifth place with three points from one win and two defeats.

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