Indonesia's coach takes responsibility after draw with Vietnam U17 and elimination

U17 Indonesia halts progress in the group stage of the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship, with head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto taking responsibility.

The U17 Indonesia team had to accept finishing third overall in Group A of the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship.

Coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto stated he is ready to take responsibility after U17 Indonesia was eliminated from the group stage. He also apologized to fans for the disappointing result.

U17 Indonesia could not advance past the group stage, earning only 4 points and placing third. This performance did not meet initial expectations, as the team was aiming to compete for the championship.

"We could only draw and could not reach the semifinals. As the person responsible for the team, I apologize for the poor result," Kurniawan shared in the post-match press conference.

Despite the early elimination, this strategist still praised the efforts of his players throughout the tournament.

According to him, the players showed clear improvement and gradually understood the tactical system set by the coaching staff.

"I must still acknowledge the players' efforts. They fought wholeheartedly and executed exactly what we planned," the former Persebaya Surabaya player said.

Additionally, Kurniawan pointed out some areas needing improvement, most notably the ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

This will be an issue to address in the coming period, especially as U17 Indonesia aims to participate in the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup finals in May.

"We mainly played counter-attacking defense, but our attacking phase was not effective. This will need to be improved to prepare for the Asian championship," Kurniawan emphasized.