"Naturalized players can strengthen the team, but they are not magicians," Thailand's Siam Sport newspaper headlined after witnessing the Indonesian team fail to participate in the 2026 World Cup, losing both matches in the 4th qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
In the 4th qualifying round, the Indonesian team lost to the host team Saudi Arabia with a score of 2-3 and lost to Iraq with a score of 0-1, officially ending the journey to conquer the dream of participating in the most attractive tournament on the planet taking place in North America next year.
This is disappointing for Indonesia as the country's Football Federation had placed high hopes on them qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in history, from the policy of massive naturalization of players of European origin to the willingness to "change horses midstream" by firing coach Shin Tae Yong and appointing Dutch coach Patrick Kluivert.
Indonesian players collapsed on the field after failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup (Photo: CNN Indonesia).
"It is clear that using naturalized players is not a magic potion that can change the world immediately. In this World Cup qualifier, Indonesia lost 0-10 on aggregate to Japan, home and away, and was thrashed 1-5 by Australia.
However, the direction they are taking is worth watching. Although they are still not able to compete with the top teams in the continent, they have clearly improved their level," commented Siam Sport .
The Thai newspaper also emphasized that the Indonesian team has a clear difference when it has and does not have the services of naturalized players, with most of the players playing in Europe.
"The Indonesian team, without the support of naturalized players, was eliminated from the group stage of the AFF Cup last year, losing to Vietnam, losing to the Philippines and drawing with Laos.
This is different from the performance of the national team that defeated Vietnam both at home and away in the second round of World Cup qualifiers, and overcame difficult obstacles in the third round to enter the final qualifying round of the Asian region," Siam Sport emphasized.
Notably, the Thai newspaper believes that using many naturalized players will strengthen the national team but conversely will weaken the internal strength of each country's football.
"Some people say if you want to recruit, then recruit. But shouldn't you recruit in moderation? Bringing a team full of naturalized players onto the field like this is terrible. Isn't that not giving people with 100% bloodline the chance to contribute to the country?
Here is the problem. Where is the phrase "enough"? What is the standard of measurement?
No more than 3 people, 5 people, or more than half the team, or 3/4 of the team. Anything more than that would be considered inappropriate, unflattering, and even undignified.
I think everyone has their own opinion on this issue. It is a sensitive issue. There is no way that 200-300 million people can have the same opinion.
Some people may disagree, some may feel uncomfortable, but others welcome it with open arms," Siam Sport commented.
Notably, Siam Sport also mentioned the case of the Malaysian Football Federation, in its haste to strengthen the national team, leading to fraudulent acts in naturalizing players, which it considered unethical in sports .
"In the end, the issue comes back to the policy of the Football Association at that time. Each country's policy is their own policy. As long as it is not an act of forgery, not an act of fraud, every national team has the right to do so under the rules allowed by the World Football Federation (FIFA)," the Thai newspaper concluded.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-thai-lan-binh-luan-khi-chung-kien-tuyen-indonesia-vo-mong-du-world-cup-20251014155317592.htm
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