Jakarta.  Indonesia’s football association (PSSI) will file a complaint against the Kuwait Football Association (KFA) with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after Kuwait abruptly canceled a scheduled friendly against the national team, PSSI chairman Erick Thohir said on Monday.

The match, originally set for Sept. 5, was part of Indonesia’s FIFA Match Day preparations. With Kuwait pulling out, PSSI has shifted focus to the Sept. 9 fixture against Lebanon at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium in Surabaya, which will proceed as planned.

“We have prepared a letter for the AFC. We are also trying to find a replacement opponent, so please be patient,” Erick told reporters.

The sudden cancellation carries financial consequences, as tickets for the Kuwait match had already gone on sale. “Of course, there will be losses. That’s why we’re working hard to find a new opponent quickly,” Erick added.

The setback frustrates Indonesia’s preparations for the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers in October, where the Garuda squad will face tough Middle Eastern sides such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Erick said test matches against regional teams like Kuwait were designed to sharpen the national team’s readiness.

“We deeply regret this because we had planned everything long in advance. Our schedule was set for Kuwait and Lebanon,” Erick said during a press conference to introduce PSSI’s new technical director, Alexander Zwiers.

Erick admitted he initially suspected foul play behind the last-minute decision. “At first, we thought negatively, wondering if there was sabotage. It’s incredibly difficult just to arrange a friendly,” he said.

However, Erick later acknowledged that Kuwait had also withdrawn from another tournament in the United Arab Emirates, pointing to possible internal problems within the KFA.

“They have pulled out from other tournaments as well. Maybe there are internal issues . I don’t want to accuse them. But we have already sent a strong protest letter to Kuwait,” Erick said.

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