Coach Kluivert gambles with Indonesian team full of naturalized stars
According to CNN Indonesia , of the 27 players that Coach Kluivert has called up to the national team to prepare for their upcoming official debut since replacing Coach Shin Tae-yong, most are naturalized players. However, there are still 3 more naturalized players waiting to complete the procedures on March 10, and will be announced as additional players to the above list.
The Indonesian team continues to promote the policy of naturalizing players, placing a big gamble in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
They are Emil Audero Mulyadi (goalkeeper, currently playing for Palermo in Italy), Dean James (defender, Go Ahead Eagles, Netherlands) and Joey Pelupessy (defensive midfielder, Lommel in Belgium). These players are Italian and Dutch respectively, all of Indonesian origin.
"If they are added, the number of local players in the upcoming competition will decrease significantly, even gradually losing all opportunities to play for the national team," CNN Indonesia expressed.
"The list of 27 players just announced by coach Kluivert is actually just a preliminary list. The players on this list include those who have regularly received call-ups in previous matches.
Specifically, like Maarten Paes goalkeeper Ernando Ari; defenders Rizky Ridho, Jay Idzes, Jordi Amat, Kevin Diks, Calvin Verdonk, Mees Hilgers; midfielders Marselino Ferdinan, Ricky Kambuaya, Ivar Jenner, Thom Haye; strikers Rafael Struick, Egy Maulana Vikri, Ramadhan Sananta and Hokky Caraka.
But when there are 3 more new naturalized players, some of them will definitely be eliminated and will mainly be domestic players, when coach Kluivert finalizes the official list to play in the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches," CNN Indonesia emphasized.
For now, in the goalkeeper position, if Emil Audero Mulyadi is added, native players like Nadeo Argawinata or Ernando Ari will lose their place, because the remaining position already belongs to number 1 goalkeeper Maarten Paes.
In defense, only 3 native players remain: Pratama Arhan, Rizky Ridho and Muhammad Ferarri, while long-time captain Asnawi Mangkualam has been officially eliminated. Similarly, the midfield and attack, with the overwhelming number of naturalized players, have made the chances of familiar players born in Indonesia such as Marselino Ferdinan, Ricky Kambuaya or Egy Maulana Vikri, gradually losing hope of remaining in the official squad.
List of 27 players called up by coach Kluivert to the Indonesian national team, still waiting for 3 more naturalized players
Photo: PSSI website screenshot
"This is also reflected in the presence of a brand new player in the Indonesian national team who was recently naturalized, striker Ole Romeny (Oxford United, England, also of Dutch origin). Meanwhile, the first-time domestic player to join the national team, Septian Bagaskara, was added from the U.23 team, with the reason being for coach Kluivert to conduct further tests," CNN Indonesia reported.
In the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, the Indonesian team is ranked 3rd in Group C with 6 points after 6 matches. They will meet the Australian team (7 points, 2nd in the group) on March 20 away in Sydney (Australia). Then, they will return home to meet the Bahrain team in Jakarta on March 25. In June, they have 2 final group stage matches against the Chinese team (June 5) and Japan (June 10) to keep their hopes alive.
The Indonesian team still has a chance to compete for 1 of the 2 spots in the group to directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, while the Japanese team (16 points) has secured the top spot and will win 1 ticket. In addition, they will also look for opportunities in the 4th group stage if they finish 3rd or 4th, to compete for the remaining 2 main spots in the Asian region. In addition, they will look for opportunities in the Intercontinental play-off spot.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Asian region has 8 official spots and 1 Intercontinental play-off spot. Of which, 6 main spots will be determined in the 3rd qualifying round (including the top 2 teams in 3 groups). The 3rd and 4th ranked teams in the 3 groups in the 4th qualifying round will be divided into 2 groups, each group has 3 teams, the top team in each group will win the remaining 2 official tickets to the final round. The 2nd ranked teams will compete in the play-off to compete for 1 spot in the Intercontinental play-off round.
These will be great opportunities for the Indonesian team to achieve their dream of participating in the World Cup next year. Therefore, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) with its president Erick Thohir is "hotly" implementing a policy of massive naturalization of players, to place a huge gamble with coach Kluivert in the upcoming qualifying matches.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-sao-nhap-tich-day-cau-thu-indonesia-khoi-doi-tuyen-hlv-kluivert-dat-canh-bac-lon-185250310102014122.htm
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