Furthermore, it is indeed correct that the Indonesian national team currently consists of many diaspora players, most notably hailing from the Netherlands. It tends to give the national team somewhat of the appearance of “Netherlands v2.0” because many of them are people of Indonesian descent born and who have developed their football careers in the Netherlands. A few have even represented the Dutch national team in their youth categories. Nevertheless, as long as they give their best on the pitch and have the intention and hope of making Indonesia proud, that is what matters. What is key is their commitment to make Indonesia proud on the international stage, and that is an initiative I will always support.

And it is commonplace in modern football, where many countries tap into the potential of their diaspora players. Not only Indonesia, but countries in Europe as well often fill the depth of their national teams with players who have a diaspora background, especially from Africa.