Jakarta –
Marc Klok can defend Indonesian National team starting April 2022. PSSI also registered the Persib Bandung midfielder to the football squad SEA Games 2022.
Klok’s debut with the national team was delayed because he could not prove the documents as Indonesian descent. Even though Klok has become an Indonesian citizen (WNI) since November 2020.
After a delay, Klok will finally be in uniform Indonesian National team. PSSI immediately registered the former Persija Jakarta with the 2022 SEA Games (also called the 2021 Sea Games because last year was delayed due to the pandemic) to strengthen the U-22 Indonesian National Team at the Southeast Asian Nations Games.
Although titled U-22, each team can still register a limited number of senior players. Still the same as 2019, each team is given the freedom to register two senior players (over 22 years old).
“We have registered Marc Klok for the 2021 SEA Games for a quota of senior players. We are sure that Marc Klok can play because he has followed the rules for five years living in Indonesia,” PSSI Technical Director Indra Sjafri told reporters.
“The number of senior players at the 2021 SEA Games may be played by two. However, those registered are more than that. This means that two players may play, as in the previous edition,” he added.
Even though he has been an Indonesian citizen since 2020, Marc Klok could not complete the evidence document as a descendant of Indonesia to FIFA. To move associations, a player must meet the requirements of the destination country (naturalization) and meet FIFA rules.
Under FIFA rules, the transfer of a player’s association is regulated in Article 7 of FIFA 2020. A player who changes citizenship status can defend his new country if the conditions are met.
Some of the conditions are; the player is born in a new association country, his biological mother or father is born in a new association country, his grandmother or grandfather is born in the new association country he wants to strengthen.
Or the player has lived in the country of the new association for three years from the age of 10. Live five years between the ages of 10-18 in the new associate country. And lastly five years since the age of 17 years in the destination country of association.
In the case of Klok who cannot show that he is of Indonesian descent, he can refer to the latter condition. That is a minimum of five years in Indonesia to be able to strengthen Garuda.
Marc Klok has lived and worked in Indonesia since strengthening PSM Makassar starting April 2017. That means he can only strengthen Indonesian National team after April 2022.
Meanwhile, Klok has a special naturalization status even though he has not lived in Indonesia for 5 years. Initially he claimed to have Indonesian blood, which in the end the Dutch-born player could not prove.
(aff/raw)
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