Intensifying Naturalization of PSSI Players for the Indonesian National Team, Former Persib Bandung Reveals Negative Side

Intensifying Naturalization of presence of naturalized players in the Indonesian National Team has become a pro and con. Former Persib Bandung player, Shohei Matsunaga, is afraid that the intensive process of maintaining citizenship will cause the Garuda Squad’s achievements to decline.

The man from Japan did not deny that naturalized players have greatly helped the Indonesian National Team
to improve its level. The arrival of these players is considered to have made the Red and White Team improve rapidly.

Intensifying Naturalization of

“Yes, now there are many naturalized players. So, they (make) the Indonesian National Team develop to be strong,” Matsunaga, quoted on Saturday (11/9/2024).

However, the 35-year-old man has concerns regarding the future of the Indonesian National Team. Matsunaga is worried that the Red and White Team’s achievements will plummet again.

“I’m afraid that in the next 5-10 years when (naturalized players) retire, there will be no more naturalized players for the national team, maybe Indonesia could go down again,” said Matsunaga.

The presence of these naturalized players helped the Indonesian National Team in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian Zone. Currently, Shin Tae-yong’s team is in the third round and has a chance to qualify for the final round.

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Not only that, their achievements in the FIFA ranking have also skyrocketed. Until October 2024, the Indonesian National Team was ranked 130th in the FIFA rankings.

The presence of these naturalized players has made PSSI continue to target Indonesian-blooded footballers abroad. Finally, the naturalization process for Kevin Diks is being accelerated.