The Indonesian national team squad when they beat the Philippines. Photo : Ricardo/JPNN.com
jpnn.com – JAKARTA – It cannot be denied that a lot of criticism was leveled at Shin Tae-yong alias STY because of the use of naturalized players in the squad Indonesian National team.
However, the public’s euphoria over the achievements recorded by the Indonesian National Team has become a momentum to unite forces and efforts for the Indonesian football team’s presence on the world stage, without the need to differentiate between where the players come from.
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Born in Lelystad, Netherlands, Shayne Pattynama has Indonesian blood from his father who was born in Semarang, Central Java.
Shayne Pattynama said that he does not agree with the public making distinctions by calling players like him naturalized players or foreign players and players born in Indonesia as local players.
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It is emphasized that he is Indonesian even though he did not grow up with Indonesian language and culture.
And therefore, at this precise moment, the history that Indonesia has made again should be celebrated as a moment of unity, just like when all Garuda players celebrated qualifying for the third round with supporters at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, Tuesday (11/6), by singing “Syalalala o Garuda”.
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Such is the case with Thom Haye. The past two days were a beautiful night for the Indonesian national team, also for Thom “The Professor” Haye who opened his scoring account for the Red and White after opening his assist last March.
Playing the full 90 minutes when the Indonesian National Team played against the Philippines, Thom showed who he is, as a midfielder who has played poorly in the Dutch Eredivisie.
He organizes attacks, sets the tempo, moves the ball quickly from all lines, and makes classy key passes.
SofaScore gave Thom Haye a rating of 8.6 after the 29-year-old midfielder scored one goal, made 72 touches, 53 passes with 74 percent accuracy, seven key passes, five successful crossings from eight attempts, five successful long balls from nine opportunities.
Apart from that, one shot was on target, one shot was not on target, one successful dribble, two successful ground duels from five opportunities, two successful aerial duels from three opportunities, one blocked shot and two interceptions.
His goal from outside the penalty box was also no coincidence because he often did that when he was in the SC Heerenveen uniform.
That night was an unforgettable night for him and it was a night that made him run out of words in front of journalists at a press conference.
“It was a special night for me, my debut goal at GBK for the national team, I was watched by my family and friends, I could celebrate this with them, and that was very special for me,” said Thom.
“First of all, the atmosphere is difficult to explain, try to feel it yourself, it is very special, the enthusiasm of the people can be felt on the pitch by the players. “This is something really special for the players on the pitch,” added Tom Haye.
Not wanting to be outdone by Thom, Calvin Verdonk, who made his debut with Garuda, also looked great.
Verdonk refused to adapt because he performed very well at left back with three key passes and several goal opportunities before being replaced by Pratama Arhan in the 67th minute.
Like Thom, Calvin Verdonk was also impressed by the atmosphere of the supporters at SUGBK.
“I think it’s a fun game with a great atmosphere, really happy to be here,” said Verdonk.
Both Thom and Verdonk are looking at Indonesia’s progress in the third round where they will meet stronger countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and Iran.
Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country to qualify for the third round.
The door to the 2026 World Cup stage in the United States, Canada and Mexico is still far away and therefore this achievement is unlawful if it makes the heads of Garuda players grow bigger.
There are still three months before the third round starts next September.
Three months will be a crucial time for Indonesia to mature its strength so that it does not suffer the same fate as Thailand and Vietnam, which only finished as caretakers in the two editions of the third round of World Cup Qualification in 2018 and 2022.
In the midst of criticism of the use of naturalized players, the fact will never be hidden that the 11 players plus reserves will definitely be recorded in the history books as the names that led Indonesia to advance to the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifications in the Asian zone for the first time.
Jay Idzes, Thom Haye, and Shayne Pattynama grew up in other countries.
However, like the lyrics from the song Tanah Airku, “Even if I go far away, it won’t disappear from my heart,” Red and White blood still flows freely in their bodies.
Whoever the player is, wherever the player is born, as long as they have the Garuda symbol on their left chest, they are the best sons of the nation that we should be proud of. (antara/jpnn)
Editor & Reporter : Soetomo Samsu
