We are Indonesian: coach defends foreign-born XI in FIFA ASEAN Cup opener against Singapore

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s decision to field a starting XI comprising only foreign-born footballers in their FIFA ASEAN Cup opener has sparked debate online, after their 2-0 victory over Singapore on Sept 25.

The brouhaha erupted after Indonesia coach John Herdman’s blunt response to a question by a local reporter at the post-match conference on Sept 25. Pointing out that the team’s starting line-up did not have a single home-grown player for the first time in their history, the latter asked “is the equal opportunity still in the same room?”

Herdman, who was visibly irritated, did not hold back.

The 51-year-old Englishman said: “It’s a line-up of players that want to represent this country, that are willing to get on flights and roll their sleeves up, put in 50-50 tackles, play with passion and fire and heart for the fans here. It’s important to respect that.

“There is no difference. There is no local, there is no diaspora. We are Indonesian. We represent the flag. We sing the anthem, and we stand together every time.

“This is a mindset we have to change – these people are Indonesian now. They love playing for you… And when they start pulling out of tackles, when they stop running in games, then you can ask that question.”

The exchange struck a nerve online.

On Instagram, one netizen said: “Last night, I saw Indonesia deprived their own local talents of an opportunity to compete at national level for the sake of a win.

“Yes, congratulations for winning last night’s match but is this the beginning of the extinction of local Indonesian talents? So much for Indonesia football.”

Another fan questioned: “How do you answer the budding young Indonesian footballers who had a dream to represent their country?”

But there were others who sided with Herdman. One supporter said: “So embarrassing, we’re being lectured by an Englishman. Even he understands that if you want to progress, you have to unite. We’re still divided – embarrassing. The calibre of our people really is that different.”

Hosts Indonesia have 17 naturalised players among their 23-strong squad for the inaugural tournament, with only the Philippines having more – 18 naturalised or dual-citizenship players.

Malaysia have five – and three more with dual-citizenship – followed by Vietnam’s four and Singapore’s two (Kyoga Nakamura and Song Ui-young).

Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan have opted to go with diaspora players who qualify through dual-citizenship rules rather than a naturalisation process.

The trend is not unique to Indonesia. Vietnam have taken a more cautious approach under coach Kim Sang-sik, naming four naturalised players in their tournament squad, all of Brazilian origin, though rarely more than one or two feature on the pitch together.

Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) vice-president Tran Anh Tu previously said the federation imposes no fixed quota, but wants selections to be a calculated and appropriate decision, not a quick fix to chase results.

He told VietnamNews: “The VFF has never set a target for how many naturalised players should be called up. That is the head coach’s decision.

“We have many naturalised players, but we still have to consider who is suitable. In the past, Vietnam limited the use of naturalised players. Now naturalisation is a trend in many countries.”

Malaysia, by contrast, have leaned aggressively into it, though the strategy backfired earlier in 2026, when FIFA sanctioned its federation after seven foreign-born footballers were found to have played in matches despite being ineligible.

The Philippines have similarly built their squad heavily around diaspora talents for years.

Singapore has not been immune to the trend either, albeit on a smaller scale.

Japan-born Nakamura and South Korea-born Song, both naturalised, featured for the Lions in the defeat on Sept 25 and are part of coach Gavin Lee’s blend of local-born and naturalised talent. Previous Lions squads who won trophies at the Malaysia Cup and ASEAN Championship have also featured naturalised players.

When asked about the move by their ASEAN neighbours, Lions defender Safuwan said: “Individually, I’d say that that’s their call. Whatever project that they have for their national teams has nothing to do with us.

“For us, we have good players that can fight against teams that have different calibres, and it’s also good for us to test ourselves having to face these players who have been through the naturalisation scheme for them.

“I have played against players who have been through the schemes and we have our goals and our targets, we are not in the same category, but I think our local-based players are equally as good as them.”

The inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup is being held in Indonesia and Hong Kong from Sept 24 to Oct 5 and features 14 teams, including all 11 ASEAN nations, competing across two divisions.

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