Indonesia can set record for number of naturalized players in Vietnam clash

Indonesia head coach Shin Tae-yong (R) meets defender Jay Idzes in Italy on March 3, 2024. Photo by Instagram/@shintaeyong7777

The latest name confirmed for a call-up by coach Shin Tae-yong is defender Jay Idzes, who plays for Venezia in Italy's Serie B.

The 1.9-m tall defender was born in the Netherlands and has Indonesian grandparents. The naturalization process for Idzes was completed at the end of December 2023.

Coach Shin traveled to Italy to watch Idzes play in Venezia's 2-1 loss to Como on March 3. The South Korean coach also observed several other Indonesian players in Europe, such as Sandy Walsh, Shayne Pattynama, Marselino Ferdinan, Ivar Jenner, and Rafael Struick.

In the Asian Cup earlier this year, Indonesia had seven naturalized players in their squad. This was a record number of naturalized players for Indonesia in a tournament.

If nothing changes, Indonesia will be strengthened with at least eight naturalized players in the two matches against Vietnam.

Indonesia's plan to naturalize players started after 2010. At the 2014 AFF Cup, they brought four naturalized players to an official tournament for the first time.

However, the team were eliminated in the group stage. Since coach Shin's arrival in 2020, naturalizing players of Indonesian descent has become a key strategy to quickly enhance the national team's strength.

Defender Jay Idzes during training. Photo by Venezia FC

With only one point, Indonesia are currently at the bottom of Group F in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, trailing Iraq and Vietnam by five and two points, respectively.

The upcoming games against Vietnam are crucial for Indonesia, as they aim for a home win in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on March 21 and to earn at least a point in the away match at Hanoi's My Dinh Stadium on the 26th to gain an advantage in the race to the third qualifying round.

For the home game, the Football Association of Indonesia hopes to fill all seats at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which has a capacity of over 88,000 seats.

The highest ticket price is 750,000 Indonesian rupiah ($48), while the lowest is 100,000 Indonesian rupiah ($6.40).

The lower price tickets are currently sold out while the most expensive ones are only available in very limited quantities.