Coach Kluivert is taking a big gamble.

Coach Kluivert is taking a gamble with the Indonesian national team, which is full of naturalized players.

According to CNN Indonesia , of the 27 players called up by coach Kluivert for his upcoming official debut since replacing coach Shin Tae-yong, the majority are naturalized players. However, there are still 3 more naturalized players awaiting completion of procedures on March 10th, and they will be announced as additions to the list.

The Indonesian national team continues to push its policy of naturalizing players, placing a big gamble in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

These are three players: Emil Audero Mulyadi (goalkeeper, currently playing for Palermo in Italy), Dean James (defender, Go Ahead Eagles in the Netherlands), and Joey Pelupessy (defensive midfielder, Lommel in Belgium). These players, one Italian and the other Dutch, both have Indonesian ancestry.

"If they are included, the number of local players in the upcoming tournament will decrease significantly, and they may even gradually lose all opportunities to play for the national team," CNN Indonesia stated.

"The list of 27 players announced by coach Kluivert is actually only a preliminary list. The players named in this list include those who have regularly received call-ups for previous matches."

Specifically, like Maarten Paes goalkeeper Ernando Ari; defenders Rizky Ridho, Jay Idzes, Jordi Amat, Kevin Diks, Calvin Verdonk, Mees Hilgers; midfielders Marselino Ferdinan, Ricky Kambuaya, Ivar Jenner, Thom Haye; strikers Rafael Struick, Egy Maulana Vikri, Ramadhan Sananta and Hokky Caraka.

"But with three more naturalized players, some of whom will certainly be dropped, and the majority will be domestic players, when coach Kluivert finalizes the official squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers," CNN Indonesia emphasized.

For now, in the goalkeeper position, if Emil Audero Mulyadi is added to the squad, local players like Nadeo Argawinata or Ernando Ari will lose their places, as the remaining position is already occupied by the number one goalkeeper Maarten Paes.

In defense, only three local players remain: Pratama Arhan, Rizky Ridho, and Muhammad Ferarri, while long-time captain Asnawi Mangkualam has been officially dropped. Similarly, in midfield and attack, the overwhelming number of naturalized players means that the chances of familiar Indonesian-born players like Marselino Ferdinan, Ricky Kambuaya, or Egy Maulana Vikri securing a place in the starting lineup are dwindling.

The list of 27 players called up by coach Kluivert for the Indonesian national team still awaits the addition of 3 more naturalized players.

Image: Screenshot of the PSSI website

"This is also reflected in the presence of a brand-new player in the Indonesian national team who recently became a naturalized citizen, striker Ole Romeny (Oxford United, England, also of Dutch origin). Meanwhile, Septian Bagaskara, a domestic player making his debut for the national team, was added from the U23 team, with the reason being to allow coach Kluivert to further assess him," CNN Indonesia reported.

In the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region, the Indonesian national team is currently ranked 3rd in Group C with 6 points after 6 matches. They will face Australia (7 points, second in the group) on March 20th away in Sydney, Australia. Afterwards, they will return home to play Bahrain in Jakarta on March 25th. In June, they have two more group stage matches against China (June 5th) and Japan (June 10th) to keep their hopes alive.

The Indonesian team still has a chance to compete for one of the two spots in their group to qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup finals, while the Japanese team (16 points) has already secured first place and will also get one spot. In addition, they will also seek an opportunity in the fourth group stage if they finish third or fourth, to compete for the remaining two main spots in the Asian region. Furthermore, they will look for a chance in the Intercontinental Play-off.

In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Asian region has 8 automatic qualification spots and 1 Intercontinental Play-off spot. Six of these automatic spots will be determined in Round 3 (the top two teams from each of the three groups). The teams ranked 3rd and 4th in the three groups advance to Round 4, divided into two groups of three teams each. The top team from each group will secure the remaining two automatic qualification spots. The teams ranked 2nd will compete in a play-off for one spot in the Intercontinental Play-off.

These will be significant opportunities for the Indonesian national team to achieve their dream of participating in the World Cup next year. Therefore, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), with its president Erick Thohir, is aggressively pursuing a policy of mass naturalization of players, placing a huge gamble with coach Kluivert in the upcoming qualifying matches.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-sao-nhap-tich-day-cau-thu-indonesia-khoi-doi-tuyen-hlv-kluivert-dat-canh-bac-lon-185250310102014122.htm