The Indonesian national team is expected to naturalize four more Dutch players before facing Vietnam in March in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers - Asian region.
The Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) is accelerating the naturalization process for striker Ragnar Oratmangoen, defender Nathan Tjoe-A-On, midfielder Thom Haye, and goalkeeper Maarten Paes. All four players hold Dutch citizenship and have Indonesian paternal grandparents.
Haye is the most prominent figure currently playing regularly for SC Heerenveen – the former club of Doan Van Hau – in the Dutch national championship. The midfielder, born in 1995, has played 68 matches and scored 10 goals for Heerenveen since the 2021-2022 season. He, along with another naturalized Indonesian player, Sandy Walsh, was part of the Netherlands team that won the 2012 European U17 Championship.
Midfielder Thom Haye plays for SC Heerenveen in the Dutch national league. Photo: Pro Shot
Defender Nathan Tjoe-A-On, born in 2001, plays as a left-back. Due to a lack of regular playing time, he was loaned to Heerenveen by Welsh club Swansea City during the winter transfer window.
Striker Ragnar Oratmangoen also plays in the Dutch Eredivision, on loan from Groningen to Fortuna Sittard. However, the striker, born in 1998, has not scored for the club since the 2022-2023 season.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Maarten Paes, born in 1998, stands at 1.91m tall and is currently the starting goalkeeper for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer (MLS). He was Dallas's first-choice goalkeeper in their friendly win against Inter Miami – Lionel Messi's team – on January 23rd. Before moving to the US, Paes played for Utrecht in the Netherlands from 2018 to 2022.
In December 2023, PSSI successfully naturalized central defender Jay Idzes, who was playing in Serie B for Venezia FC. However, he was not registered in time for the 2023 Asian Cup.
Justin Hubner (in white shirt) is one of eight naturalized Indonesian players competing in the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: Lam Thoa
PSSI President Erick Thohir is trying to expedite the naturalization process for four players to strengthen Indonesia's squad. Bola newspaper commented: "The addition of these five players will help Indonesia compete at the Asian level, following their impressive performance at the 2023 Asian Cup."
Indonesia advanced beyond the group stage of the Asian Cup for the first time, as one of the four best third-placed teams. They lost to Japan and Iraq both 1-3, but a crucial 1-0 victory against Vietnam helped coach Shin Tae-yong's team achieve their goal. In the round of 16, Indonesia lost to Australia 0-4.
Key events of the match where Vietnam lost to Indonesia 0-1 in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup.
The Indonesian national team continues its pursuit of defeating Vietnam in the two matches on March 21st and 26th, part of the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Indonesia is currently at the bottom of Group F with one point, level with the Philippines but with an inferior goal difference, and two points behind Vietnam and five points behind Iraq.
Indonesia's current squad includes eight naturalized players: defenders Jordi Amat, Elkan Baggott, Sandy Walsh, Shayne Pattynama, Justin Hubner; midfielders Marc Klok, Ivar Jenner; and forward Rafael Struick.
Hieu Luong
Source link
Comment (0)