Vietnamese media outlet Thanh Nien explored the possibility of emulating Indonesia’s naturalization path and concluded that it is not applicable to Vietnam.
Indonesia has recently embraced a vigorous naturalization policy, bringing many mixed-race players who play in the Netherlands and Belgium into the Indonesian national team. The naturalized players all have Indonesian heritage, and the team’s strength has indeed been significantly enhanced. Under the leadership of head coach Shin Tae-yong, they drew with Australia and Saudi Arabia in the top 18 matches—both teams participated in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The latest FIFA rankings show that Indonesia has risen to 129th place, its highest ranking in nearly five years.
There have been many calls within Vietnam to emulate Indonesia’s naturalization path. Thanh Nien commented, “Vietnamese people need to view Indonesia’s naturalization situation more objectively. For Vietnam, increasing the number of naturalized players is very difficult, and in fact, it is almost impossible.”
“There are very few people of Vietnamese descent playing abroad, and the player’s own willingness is also crucial. We cannot achieve as smoothly as the Indonesian national team. Phillip Nguyen, who was once called up to the Czech national team and now plays for Vietnam, spent several years from applying for naturalization to achieving it.”
Emulating Indonesia’s Naturalization Path? Vietnamese Media: It’s Almost Impossible for Us. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/41616.html
