CNN: 'Indonesia gradually becomes a European team'

CNN's Indonesian version wants the country's Football Federation to stop naturalizing players, to avoid reducing the value of local players.

Naturalization is becoming a hot topic in Indonesia, as the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) has just called up four more players to the national football team, including Jay Idzes, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Thom Haye, and Ragnar Oratmangoen.

Coach Shin Tae-yong has 10 naturalized players, all born abroad and not living in Indonesia.

Coach Shin Tae-yong during Indonesia's training session in Turkey in January 2024. Photo: Kompas — Coach Shin Tae-yong during Indonesia's training session in Turkey in January 2024. Photo: *Kompas*

Under the article "Indonesia gradually becomes a European team before the match against Vietnam at Bung Karno Stadium", CNN said that Tjoe-A-On, Haye and Oratmangoen were called up even though they are not officially Indonesians, because they still have to take the oath in Jakarta on March 12. "PSSI cut down the naturalization process for these three players, so that they can play in time for the match against Vietnam. The upcoming match is very important", the newspaper wrote. "Can these players help Indonesia become stronger and crush Vietnam? There is no guarantee, but if that does not happen, many people will be very angry".

The newspaper also worries that the new players will not be able to adapt to Coach Shin's playing style and their new teammates. In the most recent training camp, preparing for the Asian Cup in January 2024, Coach Shin also introduced three naturalized players, Justin Hubner, Shayne Pattynama, and Sandy Walsh, but they did not play well in the friendly match against Libya 0-4 in Turkey. "The debut of the new players this time is more risky, because this is an official match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers," the newspaper added.

PSSI and coach Shin have also received criticism from Indonesian politicians for naturalizing players too quickly. In March 2024, the Korean coach traveled to Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands to talk to naturalized players, convincing them to play for the national team. "Mr. Shin seems to apply the idiom 'the dogs keep barking, the caravan keeps moving'. He continues his pragmatic strategy: winning is the most important thing, the rest is not worth worrying about," the newspaper commented.

The newspaper also said that Mr. Shin has become desperate with Indonesian native players. He only calls up former domestic players despite their low performance, ignoring high-performing players playing in the Indonesian National Championship. "According to Shin, the debate about purebred and mixed-race players is no longer relevant in today's modern world," the author of the article said.

Despite having 10 naturalized players, the average age of the 28 Indonesian players preparing to face Vietnam is only 24.8. They could be the backbone of the team for many years to come. "The future of Indonesian football has been decided," the newspaper added. "The value of local players cannot be reduced any further. If PSSI considers this a short-term plan, they must stop naturalizing players immediately."

Hoang An

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