Indonesian football changes shockingly, “suffocating” local players

(Dan Tri) - The organizing committee of the Indonesian national championship decided that each club has the right to register up to 11 foreign players from next season.

Over the years, the Indonesian national team has risen thanks to a group of naturalized players from Europe. Many people are worried about the future of the native players in the archipelago. However, recently, the organizers of the Indonesian national championship made a shocking decision.

Indonesian native players do not have many opportunities to play in domestic tournaments (Photo: Bola).

Accordingly, this tournament decided to allow each club to register up to 11 foreign players, of which 8 players are allowed to play from next season. This number increased significantly compared to last season (registered 8 foreign players, used 6 players).

“From next season, each team will be allowed to register a maximum of 11 foreign players, of which eight will be on the field at the same time,” said Ferry Paulus, the league’s general manager.

Many opinions say that the Indonesian tournament organizers have taken action to “stifle” the opportunity for local players to play. With superior strength, foreign players easily overwhelm domestic players. With the pressure of performance, clubs may use 8 foreign players at the same time and only 3 slots are left for local players.

Clubs are allowed to use 8 foreign players per match in the Indonesian league next season (Photo: Antara).

That could mean that Indonesian players will no longer have the chance to play in their home country. To address this issue, the tournament organizers have implemented a rule that requires players to use U23 players. Clubs are required to register a minimum of five U23 players per match, with at least one player playing for 45 minutes. However, this decision may not be enough to save the situation.

Compared to other tournaments in Southeast Asia, the Indonesian championship is considered quite liberal with foreign players. The Thai league only allows a maximum of 7 players per match, with 2 players from Asia and 5 from other continents. The league allows a maximum of 7 players per match, while Singapore allows 5 players per match. Meanwhile, the V-League (Vietnam) only allows clubs to register 4 foreign players and a maximum of 3 players can play.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bong-da-indonesia-thay-doi-soc-bop-nghet-cau-thu-ban-dia-20250708190118958.htm