A massively naturalized football team appeared, stronger than Indonesia

While Asia focuses on Malaysia's scandal, as well as Indonesia's massive wave of naturalization, a South Asian team is quietly making progress with a similar policy of using overseas players.

Sri Lanka creates an earthquake with a team of naturalized players - Photo: SFA

Worst in the world before naturalization

On the evening of October 9, Sri Lanka created an earthquake in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, in the third match of Group D. With a squad of naturalized players, this South Asian team defeated Turkmenistan 1-0 at home.

It is worth noting that Turkmenistan was the team that beat Thailand 3-1 in the second match of the group, thereby taking the top spot in the group before the third match.

Regional media have been constantly talking about the race between Thailand and Turkmenistan for the top spot in Group D. And everyone seems to have forgotten that Sri Lanka is also a formidable name when they defeated Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 3-1 in June. Before that, they only lost 0-1 away to Thailand.

And after last night's match, Sri Lanka stunned the football world. It turns out that this South Asian team could be the number one candidate for the race.

What do football fans know about Sri Lanka? In the memories of the 2000s, Sri Lanka was known for its rivalry with Bhutan for the... worst position in the world, a South Asian derby.

Over time, the football level of both countries has improved, escaping the bottom position on the FIFA rankings, partly thanks to the increasing number of countries joining the football map.

According to the latest FIFA rankings, Sri Lanka is ranked 197th, just 13 places away from the bottom of the table.

In general, such a football system is only equivalent to the amateur level of average football systems in Asia, and is inferior to the professional level of Cambodia, Laos... In mid-2024, Sri Lanka lost to Brunei in both friendly matches.

Then a miracle suddenly appeared, Sri Lanka became a mid-level team of the continent after only 1 year. 2 consecutive wins against Taiwan and Turkmenistan showed that Sri Lanka is now capable of competing for a ticket to the Asian Cup.

What is the answer to that sudden rise? Naturalization again.

Flexible immigration policy

In December 2023, the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FSL) officially launched a program to search for players playing abroad with Sri Lankan origin to include in the “dual-citizen” workforce.

This is the first time in the history of national football that such a systematic naturalization strategy has appeared. As a result, 43 people were found.

After that, FSL selected 15 elite names from the above group of 43 people to include in the 2024 team list.

During the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Sri Lanka had called up 16 naturalized players in the 23-man squad, a large proportion compared to the original squad. Before the match against Thailand, local media reported that the Sri Lankan team used 17 naturalized players - most of whom were expatriates living in Europe.

Sri Lanka threatens Thailand in the Group D race - Photo: AFC

A prominent example is Jack Hingert, born in England, who has been called up to the Sri Lankan squad from 2024, one of at least 10 players from the Sri Lankan diaspora to join the squad.

Similarly, Oliver Kelaart - who was born in Melbourne, Australia - will make his debut for the national team in 2024 after completing his dual citizenship paperwork.

In addition, Ahmed Waseem Razeek - born in Berlin, Germany - is also a notable naturalized player, playing for the Sri Lankan team since 2019. Adhavan Rajamohan (born in Sweden) is a new naturalized player who was brought into the team from 2023.

Sri Lanka’s massive naturalization stems from a number of reasons. First of all, Sri Lankan football is still limited in quality, facilities and youth training, making it difficult for the domestic force to compete at the continental level.

Second, Sri Lanka's nationality policy is relatively flexible, allowing dual citizenship and giving priority to players of Sri Lankan origin.

And so, after just one year, Sri Lanka has completely changed the face of their football. They are currently ranked 197th in the FIFA rankings, and have just defeated 138th ranked Turkmenistan.

Sri Lanka have now gone on to win by a massive 60 places. And this run of form looks set to continue.

Compared to Indonesia, Sri Lanka's naturalization leap is even more dramatic and unbelievable.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xuat-hien-mot-doi-bong-nhap-tich-o-at-manh-me-hon-ca-indonesia-20251009224854092.htm