Indonesia’s soccer federation, PSSI, is no longer prioritizing the recruitment of naturalized players from the Netherlands and is redirecting its diaspora scouting toward Germany, the United States, Australia, Belgium and Spain, according to a statement posted October 31, 2026, by Mohammad Noor Korompot, a special staff member to Indonesia’s Minister of Law. VIVA.co.id reported that Korompot wrote on his personal Instagram account that using naturalized players from the Netherlands “is currently not a priority,” citing the country’s labor and immigration rules for non-European Union players.
The federation’s pivot comes as several players of Indonesian descent continue to build careers in Dutch competition, where a change of nationality from Dutch to Indonesian can alter a player’s status under local rules.
Dutch Labor Rules Now Drive the Change
Korompot attributed the shift to Dutch government regulations governing non-EU players, along with what he described as protectionist steps by the Dutch football federation, the KNVB. Metro Pekalongan reported the same assessment: when a player who held Dutch citizenship becomes an Indonesian citizen, that player can be reclassified as a non-EU player in Dutch competition, triggering work-permit requirements and minimum salary thresholds that clubs must meet.
Those requirements can weigh heavily on clubs, particularly for players who do not hold a core role or earn above the required threshold. The dispute over Dean James’s citizenship change drew attention after reports that it could affect his work permit and registration in Dutch competition, according to Metro Pekalongan. The case showed that naturalization is not only a matter of national-team interest but also affects a player’s club career.
Korompot said PSSI’s monitoring team is reportedly turning its attention to players of Indonesian blood playing in Germany, the United States, Australia, Belgium and Spain, as well as other European countries outside the Netherlands.
Arsenal’s Demiane Agustien Still in the Picture
The shift does not close the door on Dutch-based talent entirely. Disway reported that Demiane Hesus Agustien, a 19-year-old attacking midfielder in Arsenal’s academy who was born in Oss, the Netherlands, on July 28, 2007, remains linked to a possible call-up for Indonesia’s national team, the Garuda. Korompot has said Agustien has Indonesian lineage through his mother, and Disway reported that PSSI’s legal team was studying the possibility of naturalizing him. Agustien has previously expressed hope of playing for Indonesia, and he was considered eligible for naturalization during Patrick Kluivert’s tenure as coach.
Why the Citizenship Switch Matters in the Netherlands
For a player holding Dutch nationality, switching to Indonesian citizenship changes how Dutch clubs classify him. Non-EU players must satisfy work-permit rules and minimum salary standards that do not apply to EU passport holders, and clubs must meet specific requirements when fielding non-EU players. That is the practical hurdle behind PSSI’s reported decision to look elsewhere, even though the rules do not automatically block players of Indonesian descent from strengthening the national team.
🚨 PSSI are reportedly no longer prioritizing Dutch-based diaspora players amid the KNVB's protectionist approach and strict Dutch rules on non-EU players. Scouting is shifting to Germany, the US, Australia, Belgium, Spain and other European countries. [Noor Korompot] pic.twitter.com/U5KHfv0rws
Questions Readers Are Asking
Korompot named Germany, the United States, Australia, Belgium and Spain, plus other European countries outside the Netherlands, according to VIVA.co.id and Metro Pekalongan.
Reported reasons are Dutch labor and immigration rules for non-EU players, minimum salary thresholds for clubs, and KNVB protectionism, amplified by the Dean James administrative case.
Is Demiane Agustien eligible for Indonesia? Disway reported that Agustien, born July 28, 2007, in Oss, has Indonesian descent through his mother and that PSSI’s legal team was studying his naturalization, though no call-up has been confirmed.
The next concrete step on record is PSSI’s legal review of Agustien’s naturalization possibility; no further PSSI announcement on the expanded scouting list has been confirmed in the reports.
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