Erick Thohir asks the Indonesian National Football Team to be wary of Bangladesh during the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.

Indonesia National Football Team has become the centre of public attention after recording a goalless draw against Malaysia in the second Group A fixture of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup. PSSI Chairman Erick Thohir reminded that pressure and criticism are an inherent part of football, meaning the Garuda Squad must immediately refocus on their upcoming match against Bangladesh.

Indonesia played out a 0-0 stalemate against Malaysia at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, Jakarta on Monday 28 September. With this result, Indonesia will need to secure maximum points in their final group match to protect qualification chances for the knockout stage.

Erick noted that criticism is not exclusive to the Indonesia national squad. Head coaches and teams across all competing sides in the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup are facing identical pressure when on-pitch results fail to meet expectations.

“If we look around, the Thailand coach, Malaysia coach, Vietnam coach are all also facing heavy criticism. That is just the nature of football, it can be brutally unforgiving,” he stated in Bandung on Tuesday.

For this reason, Erick has urged the players not to become consumed by the public attention following the Malaysia draw. The next focus is Bangladesh, who Indonesia will face in the final Group A match at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium on the evening of Thursday 1 October.

Bangladesh must be approached with full seriousness. Erick stressed that this fixture carries critical weight for Indonesia's chances of progressing to the final rounds of the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.

“This means Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly. The national team must fight hard, and hopefully Malaysia and Singapore will also compete with full effort in their own matches. We will just have to wait and see how the results fall,” Erick commented.

Indonesia still retains a path to advance further in the tournament. Erick has called on the Garuda squad to keep fighting right through until the final whistle of their last group fixture.

“There is still a chance. Regardless of the risks, we have to keep pushing. This is what real struggle looks like: it is exhausting, it is never easy,” he added.

The match against Malaysia unfolded under extremely difficult circumstances for Indonesia. The Garuda side was forced to play with 10 men after Thom Haye received a red card in the 37th minute.

This situation left Indonesia under constant pressure for the rest of the match, particularly once Malaysia increased their attacking intensity in the second half. Even so, Indonesia's defensive line held firm to keep their clean sheet intact until full time.

Erick expressed appreciation for the players over their defensive effort under such adverse conditions. He noted that long travel schedules leading up to the fixture and the difficult on-pitch situation did not break the squad's commitment to perform at their best.

“From what I witnessed yesterday, playing an entire match a man down, these players absolutely deserve our respect. They travelled long distances, competed far from home, and gave absolutely everything they had,” said Erick.

The upcoming fixture against Bangladesh will be Indonesia's next opportunity to keep their 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup hopes alive.

Pressure will remain present, but for Erick, the Garuda squad's only primary focus is to deliver their maximum possible performance, before waiting on results from other matches to determine their tournament fate.