U.23 Vietnam must be wary of Indonesia having 4 naturalized players: The race for SEA Games gold medal is extremely hot

Coach Indra Sjafri of U.23 Indonesia has just announced a list of 32 players considered as core members to prepare for SEA Games 33 next December.

U.23 Indonesia has the strongest squad

According to CNN Indonesia, the Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) has preliminarily registered up to 50 players for the 33rd SEA Games. Coach Indra Sjafri has just called up 32 players, including 4 naturalized strikers playing abroad and 3 experienced players who played for the Indonesian team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

These players include Ivar Jenner (FC Utrecht), Dion Markx (TOP Oss), Tim Geypens (FC Emmen) all from the Netherlands, and Adrian Wibowo (Los Angeles FC, USA). In addition, there are 3 experienced players who are familiar with the Indonesian team such as Rafael Struick, Muhammad Ferarri and Hokky Caraka.

"These are almost the key players of U.23 Indonesia in the journey to defend the gold medal in men's football at the 33rd SEA Games. In addition, there are names such as Dony Tri Pamungkas, Kadek Arel, Arkhan Fikri, Ricky Pratama who have all proven their abilities when playing for U.20 Indonesia before," according to CNN Indonesia.

Naturalized players help U.23 Indonesia ( right ) become stronger

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

Preparing for the 33rd SEA Games with the best squad is helping the U.23 Indonesia become very formidable. This is a team with a force that is almost completely different from when participating in the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament and the U.23 Asia qualifiers. This shows that the ambition of Indonesian football is to focus all its efforts on the goal of the 33rd SEA Games gold medal.

However, the fact that a large number of experienced and naturalized players from the national team were called up to the U.23 Indonesia team has caused controversy in the country's social network community. In particular, a group of fans believe that PSSI does not emphasize regional and continental tournaments, but pays great attention to the SEA Games, which has hindered the development of football in this country.

VFF boss reveals U.23 Vietnam's 'huge' plan, determined to do something surprising in Asia

However, the majority of Indonesian fans support and affirm that the goal of defending the SEA Games men's football gold medal is extremely important and that coach Indra Sjafri is given all conditions to call up the best players is necessary.

The U.23 Indonesia team will also begin their preparation for the 33rd SEA Games very early, this October, with two friendly matches against U.23 India on October 10 and 13 at Madya Stadium in Jakarta.

Fierce competition

The U.23 Thailand team aims to win back the SEA Games men's football gold medal, after three consecutive empty-handed tournaments.

Therefore, with the 33rd SEA Games being held at home, the Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has set a goal of regaining the throne. The last time they won the SEA Games men's football gold medal was in 2017. However, the rise of Indonesian football with its player naturalization policy has made the competition for the SEA Games men's football gold medal increasingly fierce.

Indonesia U23 defeated Thailand U23 (5-2 after extra time) in a dramatic final match at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia in 2023 to win the gold medal for the first time after 32 years of waiting. Coach Indra Sjafri was the one who made this achievement. He was once again trusted to lead Indonesia U23 and find the opportunity to defend that precious gold medal.

With U.23 Indonesia possessing an extremely strong squad, it will also be a significant opponent for U.23 Vietnam. At the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament in July, U.23 Indonesia lost to U.23 Vietnam with a score of 0-1 in the final match. But if they meet this rival again at the upcoming SEA Games, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will have to face a completely different opponent.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-phai-de-chung-indonesia-co-4-cau-thu-nhap-tich-cuoc-dua-hcv-sea-games-cuc-nong-1852510022154201.htm