Indonesia's "mass naturalization" strategy remains unchanged, with the new coach still expected to be Dutch.

By Han Bing On October 16, the Indonesian Football Association officially announced the dismissal of Dutch head coach Cruijff. Earlier this year, the association abruptly fired Shin Tae-yong and hired a Dutch coach to advance their naturalization strategy. Cruijff was expected to bring the Dutch football style and modern European tactics to the Indonesian team, which is built around naturalized players with a "Dutch background." Unfortunately, the gamble made by PSSI chairman Erick Thohir lasted only 281 days.

With Indonesia eliminated early from the Asian qualifiers playoff, Cruijff’s fate was sealed. When Thohir traveled to the Netherlands for a special "interview" late last year, his main goal was to hire a Dutch coach who could effectively manage the naturalized players with Dutch roots and help Indonesia build a team capable of competing for a World Cup spot. Time was tight, and the pool of available Dutch coaches was very limited. Cruijff was chosen primarily because his reputation was strong enough to restore order in a locker room filled with players of Dutch descent.

After Cruijff took charge, Indonesia saw some improvement in ball possession and game tempo, but the attacking efficiency never fundamentally changed. Thohir placed too much emphasis on Cruijff’s status as a Dutch football legend and overlooked the essential coaching skills required. Cruijff’s previously unimpressive coaching record was once again proven with the Indonesian team. His dismissal serves as a warning to football associations pursuing mass naturalization strategies: hiring a coach sharing the same background as naturalized players might be a shortcut to team cohesion, but ultimately, what matters most is genuinely enhancing the team’s competitive strength on the field.

Although Cruijff has been dismissed, Indonesia’s mass naturalization approach will remain intact. The Indonesian Football Association has established deep cooperation with the Dutch FA, appointing Dutch technical director Zwier and chief scout Tahamata. The successor to Cruijff will most likely still be a Dutch coach. The new coaching staff will focus on qualifying for the 2030 World Cup, continuing to strengthen the Indonesian team through effective integration of naturalized and local players.

Indonesian media outlet Bola listed five candidates to succeed Cruijff, with Frank de Boer as the frontrunner. De Boer has coached Ajax, Inter Milan, and the Dutch national team, and has been unemployed since leaving Abu Dhabi’s Al Jazira in 2023. He won four consecutive Eredivisie titles and shares a close relationship with Thohir, who hired him at Inter Milan in 2016. However, his stints in Serie A and the Premier League were disappointing, so whether he can truly elevate Indonesian football remains uncertain.

Other candidates include Phillip Cocu, who coached PSV Eindhoven and VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, and led Royal Antwerp to a Belgian league, cup, and super cup treble in 2023 before stepping down last summer. Cocu was an assistant to Van Marwijk for the Dutch national team from 2008 to 2012 and won three Eredivisie titles with PSV. Erik ten Hag, recently dismissed from Bayer Leverkusen, is also on the list but is the least likely candidate. Dutch-Indonesian blend Giovanni van Bronckhorst is favored as well, though he just joined Liverpool’s coaching staff as an assistant in July, making it difficult to lure him away from the Premier League champions.

Bola also noted that foreign coaches from other countries are being considered. These include Spanish coach Carlos Casas, former Iraq national team manager; Luis Milla, a Spaniard who coached Indonesia’s senior and U23 teams in 2017-2018; and foreign coaches from the Indonesian league familiar with local football and players. Nominations include Croatian coach Hodak, who led Bandung FC to consecutive Indonesian league titles; Brazilian Mauricio Sosa, who is expected to lead Jakarta FC to this season’s championship; and Dutch coach Van Gastel, currently leading newly promoted Yogyakarta FC to third place—he was the assistant who replaced Van Bronckhorst and previously coached Guangzhou City.