Recently, Mr. Sumardji - Head of the Indonesian team delegation confirmed that the U21 team of this country will have 4 naturalized players competing abroad to participate in the 33rd SEA Games. The increase in force aims to increase competitiveness with leading candidates such as U22 Vietnam and Thailand.
These are the faces that have attracted attention recently, including striker Mauro Zijlstra (FC Volendam), midfielder Ivar Jenner (FC Utrecht), defender Dion Markx (TOP Oss) - all of whom are Dutch-born and striker Marselino Ferdinan (AS Trencin) - of Slovakian origin. In addition, U22 Indonesia is also waiting for the decision from two players Adrian Wibowo and Tim Geypens.
Despite having a strong squad, President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) - Mr. Erick Thohir only set a silver medal target for Indonesia U22 instead of a gold medal, to reduce pressure on coach Indra Sjafri and his students.
In addition to the naturalized new players, the team from the archipelago also has many other quality domestic players such as Dony Tri Pamungkas, Muhammad Ferarri, Kadek Arel, Toni Firmansyah or Hokky Caraka...
According to the plan, coach Indra Sjafri will announce the official list of 23 players this week, before moving to Thailand on November 30.
Meanwhile, men's football at the 33rd SEA Games recorded notable changes. Some international newspapers reported that U22 Cambodia suddenly withdrew from 8 sports, including football, leaving Group A with only 2 teams, U22 Thailand and U22 Timor Leste.
This leads to the possibility that the organizing committee will have to draw a draw for the group. Currently, the participating teams are still waiting for the official announcement from the Southeast Asian Football Federation and the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games.
