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PSSI President highly appreciated the class of U23 Vietnam. Photo: Hai Ho . |
“I think U23 Vietnam is a very strong team. We have to admit that when we see them winning three consecutive championships. Even U23 Indonesia has lost in the last five encounters with this opponent,” PSSI President Erick Thohir commented on U23 Vietnam to the domestic media.
The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship ended a week ago, but Mr. Thohir still hasn’t forgotten the bitter defeat of the Indonesian U23 team. However, he was still satisfied with the performance of the young players from the archipelago: “We reached the final twice in a row, that’s a positive thing. Of course, everyone wants to win the championship, but we are in the process of preparing for the future.”
Similar to the national team, the U23 Indonesia squad includes a number of naturalized players. However, these players are not strong enough to help the team from the archipelago win the championship at home.
When asked about the naturalization policy, the head of PSSI affirmed that he did not want Indonesia to be too dependent on naturalized players, especially in youth teams. “If we do that, training at the grassroots level will be stifled. We cannot build a sustainable football foundation just by relying on naturalized players,” he said.
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President Erick Thohir bitterly views the naturalization process. Photo: FBNV . |
Regarding the national team, Mr. Thohir admitted that Indonesia was forced to choose a “quick solution” to achieve the goal of participating in the 2026 World Cup. However, he said that young teams such as U17 and U20 need to be developed from domestic players.
In response to the controversy surrounding foreign-born players playing for the youth national team, the head of PSSI affirmed: “Mathew Baker and Welber Jardim were already Indonesian citizens, belonging to the group of Indonesians living abroad. They have the right to play for the national team like everyone else.”
The PSSI president also stressed the need to distinguish between newly naturalized players and those who have long held Indonesian nationality. He said that the naturalization process could be used in a transitional period, but in the long term, Indonesian football must return to its roots, focusing on investing in youth training.
Source: https://znews.vn/chu-tich-pssi-khen-u23-viet-nam-thua-nhan-cay-dang-ve-nhap-tich-post1574274.html
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