PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir has officially sent a letter of protest to FIFA regarding the appointment of referees in the fourth round (round 4) of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for the Asian zone which will be played in October.
Erick stated that his team protested after he noted that the referee in that round was from the same region as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Indonesia's two opponents in this round. He believed this could potentially affect the objectivity of the match.
"The Secretary General also sent an official letter to FIFA yesterday, and I will also send an official letter to the AFC regarding the appointment of the current referee. It turns out the referee is from the same regional country as Kuwait," Erick said at a press conference at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium .Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq are in Group B of the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Indonesia will face Saudi Arabia on October 9 at 12:15 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (8:15 p.m. local time) and Iraq on October 12 at 2:30 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (10:30 p.m. local time). Both matches will be played at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
