Vietnam National Team: Cautious naturalization, no worries about scandals like Malaysian football

Every step in the process of naturalizing players for the Vietnamese national team is carried out carefully and thoroughly by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), thus meeting all strict FIFA standards.

Vietnam national team naturalized standard

Naturalization of players has become a new trend in world football, from strong football teams in Asia such as Japan, UAE... to Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Laos, Philippines or Singapore are all being swept up. In the past 2 years, the Vietnamese team has welcomed 2 overseas Vietnamese including Nguyen Filip, Cao Pendant Quang Vinh and 1 naturalized foreign player (Nguyen Xuan Son).

It is expected that in the coming years, more Vietnamese expatriates and naturalized foreign players will be given the opportunity to test their skills by coach Kim Sang-sik. Of course, in moderate doses, as assessed by VFF leaders and experts.

Nguyen Filip (left) in the Vietnamese national team jersey

PHOTO: VFF

In a sharing session in June, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan once affirmed that he "thought of turning gray" after the Vietnamese team lost 0-4 to the naturalized team (recently accused by FIFA of forging documents) of the Malaysian team. Vietnamese football then faced two options: either enter the race for massive naturalization like Malaysia and Indonesia in exchange for short-term achievements, or selectively naturalize and prioritize domestic players.

For the sake of sustainability, Vietnamese football has chosen option two. The national team door is still open to overseas Vietnamese players and naturalized foreign players, if those players are truly outstanding, surpassing domestic players in the same position, and each recruitment will only include a certain number of players with foreign blood. In addition, the player's naturalization application must be carefully prepared, standardized, and in compliance with FIFA procedures.

There, FIFA sets clear standards. Naturalized foreign players need to have lived and played continuously in the host country for 5 years (like the case of Xuan Son, or the upcoming Hendrio, Gustavo Sant Ana), and be certified and recognized by FIFA.

As for players with mixed blood, they need to have a father, mother or grandparents who were born and have nationality in the host country (ie up to generation F2). This is the problem that the Malaysian team encountered when naturalizing 7 players to serve the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Facundo Garces (yellow shirt) was suspended for 12 months for playing for the Malaysian team with fake documents.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

According to FIFA's accusations, players like Hector Hevel, Facundo Garces and Joao Figueiredo played with fake documents, without clear, authentic evidence of their grandparents' or parents' Malaysian origins.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has clear and strict regulations on naturalization, especially the issue of origin when considering nationality for overseas Vietnamese players. For example, the case of Cao Pendant Quang Vinh. The defender born in 1997 took a long time to obtain Vietnamese nationality, because it was necessary to verify the records (birth certificate) and nationality of Quang Vinh's mother, who has Vietnamese blood (Quang Vinh's father is French).

Every naturalization process, although requiring months or even years of waiting, ensures legitimacy, transparency and cleanliness. Thanks to that, the Vietnamese national team has never had any problems with naturalized players, whether they are foreigners like Xuan Son or overseas Vietnamese like Quang Vinh and Nguyen Filip.

Who is waiting for Vietnamese nationality?

There are many stars who are entering the "queue" to get citizenship and be called up to the Vietnam national team. They are foreign players Gustavo Sant Ana (Da Nang FC), Hendrio ( Hanoi FC). The group of overseas Vietnamese such as Adou Minh, Kevin Pham Ba, Kyle Colonna will also be anxiously waiting for citizenship.

After the Malaysian scandal, the naturalization process for players will be more emphasized and carried out carefully.

Although everyone wants the players to quickly join the national team to strengthen Coach Kim Sang-sik's team, it must be done step by step, clearly and strictly. So that the players can openly wear the shirt and contribute to the Vietnamese flag, without having to worry about anything.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-nhap-tich-than-trong-khong-lo-be-boi-nhu-bong-da-malaysia-185250929184157611.htm