Indonesia naturalizes two players to wait for match against Argentina

Continuing the policy from 2021, Indonesia successfully naturalized two young players playing in the Netherlands and will be introduced in the friendly matches next month.

The two latest names to be naturalized are Ivar Jenner, a 19-year-old midfielder who plays for FC Utrecht's youth team, and Rafael Struick, a 20-year-old striker who plays for ADO Den Haag. Both have Indonesian roots from their grandparents' generation and were sworn in as Indonesian citizens on May 22.

The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) was supposed to naturalize Jenner and Struick last month so they could join the U20 team at the U20 World Cup on home soil. But then Indonesia was stripped of the right to host the tournament by FIFA, causing their U20 team to miss the tournament and delaying the naturalization of the two players.

Rafael Struick (left) and Ivan Jenner (right) are the next two names to successfully naturalize as Indonesians. Photo: PSSI — Rafael Struick (left) and Ivan Jenner (right) are the next two names on the list of naturalized players in the Indonesian national team. Photo: *PSSI*

"I was disappointed not to be able to play for Indonesia at the U20 World Cup," Jenner told Bola Sport . "But then coach Shin Tae-yong called and said he wanted me in the national team. Hopefully, I will soon play for the team during the June training session."

Indonesia will face Palestine and Argentina on June 14 and 19 in Jakarta, respectively. Coach Shin Tae-yong has not yet finalized the team list, but will gather from June 5.

After Jenner and Struick, PSSI plans to naturalize Justin Hubner - a 19-year-old Dutch defender who plays for Wolves in the English Premier League.

PSSI has been pushing forward with its policy of naturalizing players of Indonesian descent since 2021, coinciding with the arrival of coach Shin Tae-yong. Many players of this type have been called up and played for the Indonesian national team, such as Jordi Amat, a centre-back who played in La Liga, centre-back Elkan Baggott, who plays for Ipswich Town in the English Second Division, and midfielders Marc Klok and Sandy Walsh. PSSI has also naturalized players of non-Indonesian descent, such as striker Ilija Spasojevic.

Indonesian football has recently achieved some successes in youth tournaments such as the 32nd SEA Games gold medal and the 2022 Southeast Asian U16 championship. But the national team level is a different story. With the support of Erick Thohir - the new President of PSSI and also a billionaire, Indonesian football is aiming for more success in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the 2023 Asian Cup or the AFF Cup.

Inviting Argentina to play a friendly match on June 19 is a costly move by Thohir to promote the image of Indonesian football. And the PSSI President revealed that he is planning to invite a famous team to Indonesia to play a friendly match every year, with Portugal, Brazil or Morocco possibly being the next names.

Hieu Luong

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