Football observer Mohamad Kusnaeni is concerned about the potential absence of striker Ole Romeny from the Indonesian national team's matches in the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying in the Asian zone.
PSSI chairman Erick Thohir confirmed that the Oxford striker would undergo surgery on Thursday. This, combined with the recovery time, means Ole is expected to be out for quite some time.
"The news about Ole Romeny's injury is indeed concerning. If Ole is indeed absent from the fourth round of World Cup qualifying, this will seriously impact the strength of the Indonesian national team," Kusnaeni said via text message.
The draw for the fourth qualifying round also took place on Thursday. Indonesia is in Group B alongside Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Saudi Arabia will host the qualifiers.
Although on paper Indonesia's opponents are certain to be tough opponents, Kusnaeni actually believes that the Garuda team has the potential to cause a surprise by being in that group.
