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Editorial: Would you play for Indonesia?
If it all goes to plan, a team from the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) will fly to the Netherlands on Friday hoping to recruit several Dutch players with Indonesian roots, to play for the red-and-white flag on the international stage
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f it all goes to plan, a team from the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) will fly to the Netherlands on Friday hoping to recruit several Dutch players with Indonesian roots, to play for the red-and-white flag on the international stage. The nearest goal would be fielding the players in Indonesian jerseys at the ASEAN Football Federation by the end of the year.
The idea of the naturalization of foreign footballers was suggested earlier this year by PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid. He argued that having naturalized players in the national team would be a good way to boost Indonesia’s performance. Nurdin — who has been criticized for the national team’s poor performance since he took the helm in 2003 — said the association had its eyes on five Australians and a dozen Dutch players who might be interested in playing for Indonesia, currently ranked 138th in the world.
Naturalization is common in sports and it is not taboo. Our neighboring country, Singapore, is among countries that have done it. The Olympic Charter regulates it. Indonesia’s 2006 Law on Citizenship also enables it. The question is, do we really need to offer naturalization? And would those players really be interested in becoming Indonesian?
And what could the PSSI offer to the Dutch players? The Netherlands after all just finished as runner-up in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (after losing to eventual champion Spain). A chance at competing in the World Cup would be far greater on the Dutch team, for sure.
Many Dutch players also play for other teams in Europe’s major leagues, such as the English Premiership, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga, which offer bulky salaries and contracts — not to mention millions of dollars worth of endorsement from multinational companies. Those players might think twice before giving up what they already have at home. Not to mention Indonesia’s image of being a country with rampant corruption and a history of security threats and human rights abuse.
It is thus doubtful Indonesia will be attractive to top Dutch players. There is a big likelihood we would only be able get second- or third-class players, whose skills and capabilities are about the same as our local players.
Meanwhile, soccer fans in Indonesia are split between the pros and cons. Those desperately wanting to see Indonesia perform on the world stage support the naturalization idea, hoping the new players would share skills and help boost the team’s performance.
Those against the idea argue that naturalization would cost the PSSI dearly, since it would need to make its offer irresistible for players choose to come here.
Many have said there must be hundreds of talented young players among Indonesia’s population of 238 million. They say the PSSI needs to improve its recruitment system and set standards for development programs at regency and province levels, as well as improve the quality of local leagues for different age groups.
Indonesia has sent dozens of talented boys to compete in soccer competitions worldwide. However, only a few of them have ever emerged as professional footballers. Fewer, if any, play in higher-level leagues.
We would appreciate the PSSI’s efforts more if its officials spent more time and energy working to build more solid and talented leagues at home, to produce Indonesia’s future champions. Even if the association thinks it would be better to recruit players from overseas, they had better ask the players first, “Will you be Indonesian?”
