Naturalized at 2am, Indonesian star still can't play against Vietnam

Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmangoen - two players of Dutch origin - took the oath to become Indonesian citizens at 11:30 p.m. last night, March 18. The duo rushed to complete the necessary procedures to officially obtain Indonesian nationality at around 2 a.m. this morning, March 19.

CNN Indonesia quoted an official in charge of naturalization for the players as saying that the process of becoming Indonesian citizens of Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmangoen was "unprecedentedly fast".

However, both players will definitely not be able to participate in the match against the Vietnamese team on March 21 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. PSSI must urgently carry out the process of transferring the member federation for the players from the Netherlands to Indonesia. This is a mandatory procedure that must be completed with FIFA in the next few days.

In a favorable case, Thom Haye and Ragnar Oratmangoen could play in the second leg match between Vietnam and Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium on March 26. Coach Shin Tae-yong still included these players in the 26-man list of the Indonesian team.

Thom Haye is on the payroll of SC Heerenveen - Doan Van Hau's old team. This season, Haye has played 25 matches and scored 3 goals. This central midfielder has played for the Netherlands youth teams. His most notable achievement is the 2012 European U17 Championship.

Ragnar Oratmangoen is an attacking midfielder for Fortuna Sittard. In the most recent match on March 10, this player helped Fortuna Sittard draw 2-2 with Ajax Amsterdam.

Although PSSI wants to quickly improve the strength of the Indonesian team, they understand that they cannot naturalize too many people. This helps domestic players have the opportunity to compete and develop in the future. This is the sustainable direction for Indonesian football instead of following the path of Singapore and the Philippines.

PSSI President Erick Thohir shared: "In a recent conversation with Mr. Shin Tae-yong, I discussed the plan to add more naturalized players. We have not added any more players for now, PSSI is focusing on naturalizing the remaining players. This process is being accelerated a lot thanks to the support of the relevant parties."