Herdman defends decision to call up Ferarri to national team

Indonesia national team coach John Herdman has defended his decision to call up defender Muhammad Ferarri to strengthen the Garuda squad for FIFA friendly matches against Oman on Friday (5/6) and Mozambique on Tuesday (9/6) in Jakarta. Speaking at a pre-match press conference against Oman at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Thursday, Herdman said Ferarri is a talented player, regardless of his limited playing time at his club, Bhayangkara Presisi. In the 2025/2026 Super League, Ferarri played only 14 times for Bhayangkara, with eight of those as a starter, and scored one goal. Additionally, the 22-year-old has not been included in the Garuda squad since March 2025. According to Herdman, Ferarri is able to deliver good performances when trusted to play, especially for the Indonesian national team when still coached by Shin Tae-yong since his debut in September 2022. The English tactician also mentioned Ferarri was one of the best players during the May 2026 training camp, which was aimed at the 2026 ASEAN Cup. ‘During the May training camp, we gave many players the opportunity to prove themselves to make the June squad, and Ferarri managed to get it,’ said Herdman. He stressed that his coaching staff is very careful in selecting players for the national team. Herdman also emphasised that he never judges players based on just the last few matches. ‘We are very careful in the selection process. We look at the player’s history, their career journey, then match it with the profile we need. We have a clear picture of what profile of centre-back we want. Then we project which players have certain physical and technical capacities, and whether they can reach a high level if trained and playing alongside top players like Kevin Diks,’ said Herdman.