In recent years, Indonesian football has been widely known for naturalizing players to compete for national team levels.
The national team of this country quickly achieved success when it won a ticket to the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - Asia region. This is a historic achievement for football in the archipelago.
However, the large number of naturalizations has caused Indonesia to also receive mixed opinions.
Recently, PSSI President - Mr. Erick Thohir shared on YouTube Liputan6 about this issue. Bola (Indonesia) quoted Mr. Erick as saying: "In the national team, we need a quick solution to get immediate results. Why not? Because we have the opportunity, at the right time and we have taken that opportunity.
But does everything have to be built with a naturalization certificate? U17 naturalized? U20 naturalized? Of course not! If so, the work of youth training will be stifled".
PSSI President Erick Thohir also said that many people are mistakenly mistaking young players with Indonesian nationality as naturalized players. For example, Mathew Baker, a defender of Melbourne City who played for U17 and is currently playing for U20 Indonesia - who is an Indonesian citizen.
However, contrary to the above statements, on the same day, August 4, Mr. Erick Thohir shared on his personal Instagram that PSSI is still searching for some more naturalized players through the discussion with Minister of Justice - Supratman Andi Agtas.
"We have also introduced some new names and consulted opinions so that they can carry out the procedures to be sworn in as Indonesian citizens, thereby strengthening the Indonesian national team," the PSSI President wrote.
