Indonesian national soccer team players train at Madya Stadium in Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex on Nov. 12, 2024. The team will face Japan in a Group C match of the 2026 World Cup Asian third-round qualifier on Nov. 15 at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta. (Antara/Muhammad Ramdan)
A
n Indonesian team under Dutch colonial rule sailed to France for the 1938 World Cup. They lost their only game 6-0, and the country has not played at the tournament since.
More than 80 years on, soccer-mad Indonesia is dreaming of a return, with a large contingent of Netherlands-born players spearheading the charge.
Indonesia is in the decisive third round of Asian qualifying as they attempt to reach the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Recent squads have included as many as 10 Dutch-born players after soccer officials intensely recruited from the Indonesian diaspora in its former colonial ruler.
“We have our choice to look for quality players,” said Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) committee member Arya Sinulingga.
“FIFA provides that space, and from our law, it is also possible, so why not?”
Ahead of Friday’s home clash with Japan in front of an anticipated 78,000 fans in the capital Jakarta, Indonesia is fifth of the six teams in its qualifying group.
The top two reach the World Cup, with the third and fourth going into another stage of qualifying.
Other countries have also naturalized players, but the extent to which Indonesia has done so is striking. Nine of the starting 11 in a 2-1 defeat to China last month were born in the Netherlands.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said the current Indonesia side under South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong is “different, stronger”
“They are a country that has always had a passionate football culture” he said. “What has strengthened them is that they have naturalized players who mostly play in Europe, and now they have quality players in almost every position.”
Top European leagues
In the decade before the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 players were naturalized for the Indonesian team.
Since 2020, 15 have made the switch, with recruited players having to give up their original passports because Indonesia does not recognize dual citizenship.
They include Justin Hubner, who plays in the reserves for Premier League Wolves, and fellow defender Jay Idzes of Venezia in Italy’s Serie A.
The newest recruit is another Dutch-born defender in Kevin Diks, who plays for FC Copenhagen and represented the Netherlands at the youth level. Others play in the top leagues in the Netherlands and Belgium.
There is also striker Rafael Struick, who plays for Australia’s Brisbane Roar.
While soccer is immensely popular in Indonesia and the country is projected to become a top-five economy by 2050, there has been a lack of investment in the grassroots game.
Indonesia’s domestic soccer has been blighted for years by shaky infrastructure, mismanagement and violence, including a stadium stampede that left more than 130 people dead in 2022.
That lack of investment has been felt at the youth level, leading to what some have perceived as the current quick fix.
“The goal is improving quality because, honestly, it must be realized that youth development in Indonesia is not as good as in Europe,” said Aun Rahman of Indonesia’s Box2box soccer podcast.
K-pop comparisons
Aun said there was hype surrounding the team and the newly recruited players that he compared to the “Korean pop idolizing model”.
Most of the young Dutchmen immediately amassed millions of new social media followers after committing themselves to their new country.
With the naturalization policy so far bringing results on the pitch, Indonesians have happily gone along with it.
An official helps a user enter his personal data as he signs up for Garuda ID at a booth in Jakarta on Nov. 12, 2024. The system, operated by the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI), is used to buy tickets to Indonesian national soccer team matches, including the Group C match of the 2026 World Cup Asian third-round qualifier against Japan, to be held in Jakarta on Nov. 15. (Antara/Aditya Nugroho)
When Indonesia played China away, thousands of fans massed outside Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta to watch a live broadcast on large screens.
PSSI chairman Erick Thohir, the billionaire former chairman of Inter Milan, says ticket sales for sell-out home matches involving the national side brought in Rp 20 billion (US$1.27 million) a game. Another bumper crowd is expected when the Indonesian national team hosts Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
The relative recent success has also seen fans snap up merchandise.
Arya, from the association, also drew comparisons with the immense popularity of K-pop band BTS.
“If they idolize BTS, what would they buy? BTS products, right?” he said. “But because they idolize Timnas, who is getting the advantage? Of course, Indonesia”
