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November 24, 2024 | 10:29 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The All Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) does not close the door on the naturalization policy for descendant players to strengthen the Indonesian National Team. This policy aims to enhance the national team's competitiveness at the Asian and global levels.
"We need the top 150 players, consisting of Indonesian players or Indonesian players abroad who support the Merah Putih team," said the General Chairperson of PSSI, Erick Thohir, at the Bali United Training Center Pantai Purnama, Sukawati District, Gianyar Regency, Bali, on Saturday, November 23, 2024.
However, he did not disclose a list of candidate players who will undergo naturalization. Currently, the man who also serves as the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises is focusing on completing the naturalization process for the player from the Netherlands, Ole Romeny.
Erick aims to complete the naturalization process for the 24-year-old, 1.85-meter-tall player by March 2025. Consequently, Ole Romeny can strengthen the Indonesian National Team against Australia in the ongoing qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup against Australia and Bahrain. "For now, we are focusing on Ole first because we need a striker. Hopefully, it will be completed in March 2025," he said.
Erick has not provided more detailed information on the naturalization process for the striker from FC Utrecht, strengthening the Garuda team. He estimated that the Indonesian U17 National Team would require 55 players, while the U-20 National Team would need at least 44 players.
Similarly, the Indonesian U-23 National Team is estimated to need 33 players, and the senior team needs around 22 players. The need for the best players is crucial, he added, to serve as replacements when other players are injured. "Some positions are still lacking, especially in the striker and midfield areas," he stated.
In addition to injuries, key players are also needed to replace the main players when they receive accumulated cards. For instance, two players, Justin Hubner and Ragnar Oratmangoen, have been ruled out of the upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifying match against Australia due to accumulated cards. Ole is expected to be one of the players who can replace their positions.
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