Indonesia appoints fomer Azkals gaffer McMenemy as new boss

Former Loyola boss Simon Mcmenemy will now take the reins of Indonesia. file

By Kevin Estrada

Fallen ASEAN powerhouse Indonesia will have a new manager at the new year, after tapping the services of former Philippines mentor Simon Mcmenemy on a two-year deal yesterday.

This comes after the Indonesian federation has demoted caretaker Bima Sakti to its under-16 side after overseeing its senior squad's disastrous stint in the AFF championship after the five-time finalists were eliminated from contention with one match to spare in the group stages.

A no stranger in Southeast Asian football, the 41-year old first made waves in the 2010 Suzuki Cup, where he steered the Azkals to its first semifinal appearance after pulling off a miraculous shocker over the hosts and the defending champions in Hanoi that help kickstart the Pinoy footballing revolution before being eliminated by his future employers in the last four in a thrilling tie in Gelora Bung Karno.

Since then he traveled to as far as Maldives for a spell at powerhouse New Radiant before returning to the country by taking charge of Loyola, helping the Sparks to win two cups in his two-year job there.

His recent managerial job was at  Bhayangkara where he finished sixth this season, a year after nailing their maiden league title.

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