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Indonesian football has been rocked by a movement against the naturalization of national team players, which has suddenly increased recently.
The movement became a topic of discussion after protest banners were displayed on a pedestrian overpass in the capital Jakarta on September 29. The text read: "Naturalized people are not natives. We are the children born here," along with the name of the Indonesian Football Federation.
The banner quickly went viral on two popular social networks in Indonesia:XandInstagram.
In fact, the movement against naturalization of players has been going on for a long time in Indonesia, but has recently become more popular after the national team has more and more players of mixed blood.
At the FIFA days in September, Indonesia called up 11 players of mixed blood. Coach Shin Tae-yong used 9 names in the starting lineup, to draw two strong teams Saudi Arabia 1-1 and Australia 0-0 in Group C of the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - Asia region. Indonesia's successful streak continued from the beginning of 2024, after the Asian Cup and reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 U23 Asia.
By the October training session, the number of mixed-race players had increased to 13, with two new additions, Mees Hilgers and Eliano Reijnders, playing in the Dutch championship. Defender Hilgers, born in 2001, had just started for FC Twente in a 1-1 draw with Man Utd in the Europa League group stage. Meanwhile, Reijnders, born in 2000, was starting for PEC Zwolle and decided to play for his mother's national team after his brother Tijjani won a place in the Dutch national team.
Three other successful naturalised Dutch players, but in the U20 age group, are Dion Markx (U21 NEC Nijmegen), Tim Geypens (FC Emmen) and Mauresmo Hinoke (TOP Oss).
Not only the banner, some influential figures have spoken out to criticize, including members of the Indonesian House of Representatives. Meanwhile, member of the Indonesian Olympic Committee Hifni Hasan directly spoke with coach Shin. "I tried to tell him not to bring too many naturalized players into Indonesian football," Hasan told the newspaper.Suara"I am a hardliner on naturalization."
Indonesia’s head coach said it was undeniable that the presence of mixed-race players helped the national team reach new heights. He hoped that opponents would have a more open view of naturalized players, instead of considering them as hindering the development of native players.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) believes that naturalizing mixed-race players is a long-term program, but not the main focus. Youth development plans, coaches and domestic leagues are the foundation for the development of football.
PSSI member Arya Sinulingga said: "The national team is what we want to improve first, because it doesn't have interference from many people. The rise of the national team means people's interest in football increases, then it spreads to clubs and many other things."
Coach Shin has called up 27 players to prepare for the away matches against Bahrain on October 10 and China on October 15, in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Indonesia is currently in fourth place with two points, one point behind Bahrain, two points behind Saudi Arabia and four points behind Japan. The team is aiming to compete for third and fourth place to be able to enter the fourth qualifying round.
TH (according to VnExpress)