Bangkok, May 10 (IANS) Indonesia wants to hire Jose Mourinho to coach its national football team, the country's minister of Youth and Sports said on Tuesday.
Dutchman Guus Hiddink is their second preferred candidate. Hiddink replaced Mourinho ona a part-time basis at English club Chelsea midway through the ongoing season, reports Efe.
"This plan has been discussed with President Joko Widodo and the Chairman of the Indonesian Olympics Committee, Erick Thohir, even though this won't be easy," minister Imam Nahrawi said, according to the Antara news agency on Tuesday.
The sports minister acknowledged that the salary of Portuguese coach Mourinho could be a problem, as he charges around $17 million per season.
Hiddink is said to be more affordable.
Mourinho is scheduled to coach team FIFA legends in a friendly match on Wednesday against stars of Mexican football to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mexico City's Estadio Azteca stadium.
World football governing body FIFA last year suspended the Indonesian team due to government interference, which will prevent it from participating in the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asia Cup qualifiers.
