John Herdman has yet to submit his training program, Indonesia faces a race against time ahead of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026

The PTIK training ground in South Jakarta remains clean, still inspected daily, still ready to welcome the Indonesian national team at any moment. Only one thing is not ready: the head coach's training program. PSSI vice-chairman Yunus Nusi's statement this week confirmed what has fans anxious: the federation is still waiting for the schedule and training program that John Herdman must submit. Until that plan lands on the table, everything else is just ritual. Fate does not betray those who dare to tie the chequered scarf on the very day Manchester falls, but for Indonesia, that scarf is still hanging on the hook. People still talk about the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 as an obvious milestone after the World Cup qualifying journey. But look closely at the timing: the tournament sits outside the FIFA window, meaning European clubs have no obligation to release players. Meanwhile, Indonesia's personnel strategy in recent years has relied on a layer of overseas players plying their trade in Europe. This is the crack few talk about: a recruitment model that is strongest at full strength becomes a logistical burden when the match calendar does not cooperate. Take Elkan Baggott as an example. The centre-back is mentioned in the report as a positive signal: five appearances in under two months for Millwall, meaning he is in playing rhythm. But that same rhythm is a double-edged sword. A player starting regularly in the Championship entering a camp after finishing a club matchday is very different from a domestic player who has rested long. Physically ready, but is he ready in terms of load distribution when the team's schedule remains a question mark? What stands out is that choosing PTIK as the base reveals the opposite logic. A small, low-capacity stadium in South Jakarta is not the place to host a full squad of European stars. It suits a training camp made up mostly of Liga 1 players. In other words, the infrastructure itself reveals what press releases do not say: PSSI appears to have accepted the reality that European clubs will not release players for a regional tournament outside the FIFA window. The report also mentions Lille losing to Real Betis and Calvin Verdonk failing to make new history. But Verdonk is associated with NEC Nijmegen in the Netherlands, not Lille. This mismatched detail casts doubt on the entire passage, and I must flag it as data to be verified. When a sports article gets the player's club wrong, readers have the right to ask: are the numbers about Baggott any more reliable? Herdman's puzzle is far from simple. He arrives with a reputation for reviving national teams in Canada, but Southeast Asian football has its own rhythm. This team is in transition between a World Cup cycle and a regional tournament. Indonesian fans are among the largest and most passionate in Southeast Asia. They will not accept a "waiting for the program" answer for long. Look at the opponents' advantage. Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia all have squads that are mostly domestic or semi-domestic. They can call up players immediately without clashing with European calendars. While Indonesia waits for a plan from a coach who is far away, rivals can already start sweating on the training ground. This mismatch is measured in weeks, and in international football, weeks are an asset that cannot be bought back. This story is not about a coach being late with paperwork. It is about a federation choosing to publicly announce that it is dependent on one individual. Federations usually prefer to announce completed milestones; saying they are waiting transfers narrative control to the counterparty. PSSI has put itself in a passive position. One absent detail is worth more than every line of text: the article does not mention Herdman's contract status, his start date, or even the confirmation of his appointment. If everything were clear, a simple confirmation could end all speculation. The silence on this most likely reflects an unresolved contractual or administrative issue. I have written a lot about teams stuck between two competition cycles. Some teams use friendlies to hide tactical emptiness, some use facility inspections to create a sense of progress. Daily venue checks are necessary, but they do not replace tactical implementation. Applause in an empty stadium travels farther than any song — because it is sung with longing. Now, let me talk about where I could be wrong. Maybe Herdman has already sent the program through an unofficial channel, and PSSI is only waiting for a hard copy to complete the procedure. Maybe everything is on schedule and the article merely captures a static moment in the process, not a delay. Maybe choosing PTIK is a tactical move to reduce media pressure and create a quiet space before a major tournament. I am willing to concede these possibilities. But even if all of them are true, one question remains: why is the public message "waiting"? Remember the times Indonesia entered regional tournaments with high expectations and ended with questions about preparation. This tournament is a chance to erase that curse. But opportunities only come to teams that start on time. Indonesia's position in Southeast Asia has changed. A quality overseas-player layer has elevated the team, but it also creates dependence on European schedules. When World Cup qualifiers fall inside FIFA windows, this model works at full power. In a tournament outside the FIFA window, the same model becomes a weakness without a backup plan. If Herdman does not build a Plan B based on domestic players, Indonesia will enter the tournament with a strong squad on paper but a fragile one in practice. It is time the question is no longer "when will the squad be announced?" The real question is: does the unsubmitted training program reflect a crisis of trust between coach and federation, or simply an administrative issue being resolved? Both possibilities lead to the same recommendation: PSSI needs to finalise everything right now, openly and decisively. For a football nation craving silverware, every week of waiting is a week of advantage handed to opponents. People call me crazy for predicting that underdogs will rise. I answer: madness is the only way to see the future. But for Indonesia, no madness is needed to see that time is passing, and the program is still nowhere to be found.