Afraid of being criticized for using foreign players, Indonesia has tied its own hands.

Both the Indonesian women's team and the Indonesian U22 men's team failed at the 33rd SEA Games due to a half-hearted and incomplete approach.

Claudia Scheunemann is currently playing in the Dutch league.

The Indonesian women's team entered the 33rd SEA Games aiming for a bronze medal, believing that their roster of foreign players was enough to help them surpass the rest of Southeast Asia, ranking only behind two World Cup-level teams, Vietnam and Thailand. However, what unfolded on the field revealed a bitter reality: Indonesia not only failed in terms of the score, but also failed in their approach to development, mirroring the same failure their U22 men's team experienced at the same Games.

From bronze medal ambitions to a freefall.

Prior to the opening of the 33rd SEA Games, Indonesian women's football was hyped with an unprecedented level of confidence. The presence of several players currently playing in Europe and the United States led them to believe they had a solid foundation to approach the top teams in the region. In the minds of many Indonesian fans, a bronze medal was achievable, even signifying a significant leap forward compared to the past.

However, the group stage quickly brought them back down to earth. The 0-8 defeat against Thailand was not only a shocking scoreline, but also proof of the vast gap in skill level. Indonesia was completely outmatched, from physical fitness and speed to defensive organization. The foreign players expected to make a difference were almost invisible under the intense pressure from the home team.

Indonesia's victory against Singapore secured their place in the semi-finals, but that was only a glimmer of hope. Facing Vietnam in the semi-finals, they suffered another heavy 0-5 defeat in a match where the disparity was evident from the very first minutes. Vietnam played fluidly, with experience, and completely controlled the game, while Indonesia was passive, disorganized, and vulnerable.

In the bronze medal match against Thailand, Indonesia's chances of achieving their goal are practically over. There's no way Indonesia can win a medal with a miracle compared to Thailand. The Indonesian women's team only has more players than Thailand... (see Wikipedia).

Looking at the Indonesian women's national team roster for the 33rd SEA Games, it's hard to say this is a weak squad. There are 13 players with their own Wikipedia pages, even more than the Thai women's team (12 players). This squad also includes two players playing in the US, two in the Netherlands, and one in Germany, showing a clear improvement compared to the 2022 AFF Women's Cup, when Indonesia almost exclusively used domestic players.

The Indonesian women's national team has a large number of well-known and experienced players.

Common point between the women's team and the U22 men's team: half-hearted foreign importation.

The Indonesian men's national team's success in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, reaching the fourth stage, was largely due to a squad composed mostly of naturalized players. However, the Indonesian Football Federation also faced pressure for not using local players. Therefore, they built their SEA Games squad with a half-foreign, half-domestic formula, resulting in a rather... half-hearted approach.

Both teams only added a limited number of players with "European qualities" and encountered the same problems and consequences. The domestic players lacked the skill to keep up with the tactical demands and high intensity of the game. This half-hearted mix did not create momentum, but instead exposed internal conflicts.

For the U22 men's team, the coach was forced to build a playing style based on a large number of domestic players, while the European-born players could only perform well when the team adopted a pragmatic, long-ball style of play and went all-out. Ultimately, although the U22 Indonesian team only aimed for a silver medal, they were eliminated in the group stage.

The Indonesian women's team faced a similar situation: when they tried to maintain their "local" playing style, they were stuck and at a disadvantage; when they needed to make a difference, there weren't enough foreign players to turn the tide.

The 33rd SEA Games thus became a mirror reflecting the situation for both Indonesian men's and women's football. Without a decisive choice between achievement and identity, between short-term goals and long-term strategies, Indonesia will continue to repeat familiar failures. And whether it's the women's team or the U22 men's team, relying on foreign imports while still being hesitant will lead nowhere.

Source: https://znews.vn/so-mang-tieng-dung-ngoai-binh-indonesia-tu-troi-minh-post1611630.html