Despite having naturalized players, the Indonesian team is still lagging behind, while the Vietnamese U23 team is making strong progress.
Indonesian newspaper Bola points out the decline of the country's U23 team in less than a year and a half. From a fourth-place finish at the 2024 AFC U23 Championship under coach Shin Tae-yong, now, under the guidance of Dutch coach Gerald Vanenburg and reinforced with four naturalized players, the Indonesian youth team has failed to qualify for the Asian Championship in early 2026.
The Indonesian U23 team lost to Vietnam U23 in the Southeast Asian U23 Championship final, and now they watch their rivals qualify for the Asian Championship for the sixth consecutive time.
Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang
"The Indonesian U23 team needs improvement, and organizing a separate tournament for this age group is absolutely essential," Bola emphasized. This reasoning was also fueled by coach Gerald Vanenburg's complaint that the Indonesian U23 team's 0-1 defeat to South Korea on September 9th, resulting in their elimination from the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, was due to the fact that young Indonesian players are rarely given playing time by clubs in the national league, which is flooded with foreign players.
"No, it's very difficult (to create a separate league for U.23 players). But in the second division, we will encourage U.23 players to have more opportunities to play. In the third and fourth divisions, perhaps the clubs' squads next year (2026) will also include more young players. I think that's something we can do," said Erick Thohir, President of the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI), somewhat dismissing the idea of organizing a separate U.23 league for young players.
Erick Thohir also frankly explained coach Gerald Vanenburg's statement: "Yes, whatever we do to improve the league and the national teams, we will certainly review it."
We just had a board meeting. For example, in the future, will it be necessary for U.23 players to be starters in the second division? The level of competition at the Indonesian U.17 and U.20 national teams is quite good (both have participated in the World Cup finals at the corresponding age levels), but the U.21 and U.23 levels are still not at their optimal level."
According to Erick Thohir, PSSI plans to organize several tournaments starting in April and May 2026, bringing together many clubs. These tournaments are expected to serve as a foundation for developing young players. In addition, third and fourth division leagues will also begin.
"Next year, PSSI hopes to see a certain percentage of young players participate in the national leagues in the lower divisions. From there, we will review everything and try to improve the development of Indonesian football, starting from within with young players," concluded Erick Thohir.
Meanwhile, public opinion in Indonesia suggests that the country's youth football needs to be quickly systematized and developed sustainably. In contrast, compared to Vietnamese football, the U23 team has consistently maintained success and a strong squad, winning the Southeast Asian Championship three times in a row (in 2022, 2023, and 2025).
Similarly, the Vietnam U23 team has qualified for the AFC U23 Asian Championship finals six times in a row. This provides a solid foundation for supplementing and inheriting talent in the Vietnamese national team. Meanwhile, Indonesian teams rely solely on naturalization, and at some point, things will become saturated and disappointing.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-thua-lieng-xieng-u23-viet-nam-sep-lon-bong-da-indonesia-bac-bo-mot-y-tuong-doc-la-185250911103247462.htm
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