Vietnam's top rival at the ASEAN Cup reveals 'hot' update on two naturalized players

As both the Minister of Youth and Sports and Chairman of PSSI, Erick Thohir provided fresh updates on the naturalization progress for Indonesian-origin players Luke Vickery and Mitchell Baker.

Vickery and Baker only need to go through a few more steps to become Indonesian citizens (WNI) and play for the Indonesian national team.

Vickery and Baker are awaiting a plenary session of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), a presidential decree (Keppres), and the oath-taking ceremony for Indonesian citizenship.

After that, Vickery and Baker will proceed with the transfer of affiliation from their original national football association to PSSI to officially become eligible to represent Indonesia.

Erick Thohir expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Indonesian House of Representatives, including Puan Maharani and Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, for facilitating the naturalization process of Vickery and Baker.

"Yes, we are still waiting for the plenary session of the House. Of course, I would like to thank the House leadership, Mrs. Puan, Mr. Dasco, as well as the heads of Commissions X and XIII for being able to expedite this process," Erick Thohir stated.

"And let's wait and see on which day the plenary session will take place; I also don't know yet. If the plenary session is completed, the documents will be forwarded to the President," Erick Thohir explained.

Erick Thohir mentioned that during a recent meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, he received full support from the government.

"The President said that whatever the Government can do to support the preparations of the national football teams for tournaments, including multi-sport events,

as well as the 2030 World Cup qualifiers starting in 2027, he will be at the forefront of providing support. Therefore, I thank the President."

According to the draw results, Indonesia is in Group A alongside defending champions Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, and Timor Leste. This is considered a tough group, featuring three top contenders for the semi-final spots: Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore.

The Indonesian national team will face Cambodia and Timor Leste before the crucial match against Vietnam at Bung Karno Stadium on August 3. After that, coach John Herdman's side will wrap up the group stage with an away match against Singapore.

Indonesian media has recently been paying special attention to the clash with Vietnam, a match predicted to be pivotal in the race for the top spot in Group A as well as for a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2026 ASEAN Cup.