PSSI Criticizes Referee Ahmed Al-Kaf After Indonesia-Bahrain Draw

Bahrain, VIVA – In the Indonesia vs Bahrain game during the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers at the Bahrain National Stadium, there was a controversial move by referee Ahmed Al-Kaf that led to many protests from various parties, including the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).

As known, the Indonesia and Bahrain match ended in a 2-2 draw after Al-Kaf let the match time run past the injury time limit, which resulted in the creation of an equalizer by Bahrain.

Bahrain opened the scoring first through Mohamed Marhoon's goal. But it didn't take long for Indonesia to equalize towards the end of the first half through a goal from Ragnar Oratmangoen.

After the restart, Indonesia showed a solid performance and managed to pull ahead in the 74th minute thanks to a goal from Rafael Struick.

With the score at 2-1, Indonesia looked set for a meaningful victory. However, drama ensued as we entered injury time.

Referee Al-Kaf gave six minutes of stoppage time, but continued the match until the 90+9th minute.

This caused distress for Indonesia because in those final moments, Bahrain found another opportunity.

Then, Mohamed Marhoon scored for the second time, equalizing the match at 2-2. This goal came after the match lasted longer than the allotted injury time of three additional minutes.

Although Indonesian officials protested against the referee's unfair decision, their complaints went unheeded.

Sadly, Referee Al-Kaf's decision to give a red card to Indonesian national team manager Sumardji added to the tension on the pitch.

The final result of 2-2 was very disappointing for the Indonesian national team who were hoping to win three points in this match.

From the start of the match, controversy seemed to have enveloped the game.

The 41-year-old referee often blew the whistle easily whenever a Bahraini player fell after a duel with an Indonesian player.

Statistics recorded that Al-Kaf considered Indonesia to commit 27 violations throughout the match, and issued yellow cards to Ragnar Oratmangoen and Marselino Ferdinan.

Responding to this incident, PSSI was very disappointed with the leadership of referee Ahmed Al-Kaf, who was considered detrimental to the national team.

Arya Sinulingga, a member of the Exco PSSI, emphasized that his party will immediately send an official protest letter to express dissatisfaction with the decisions made by the referee.

"We will send a protest letter. This disappointment is very deep, especially because the extra time given seems only to provide an opportunity for Bahrain to score a goal,” Sinulingga said in his official statement.

The draw leaves Indonesia stuck in fifth place in Group C in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for the Asian zone, with minimal points, while Bahrain are above them with 4 points.