KBRN, Jakarta: Indonesian Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas announced that his ministry will expedite the naturalization process of three prospective Indonesian national football team players.

Emil Audero Mulyadi, Dean James, and Joey Pelupessy are scheduled to take their oath of Indonesian citizenship abroad on Monday, March 10, 2025.

"We from the Ministry of Law are assisting in accelerating this process. We hope these three players will soon strengthen the Garuda squad in the Asian zone of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers," said Minister Supratman on Thursday, March 6, 2025, rri.co.id reported.

The Minister explained that the decision to have the three footballers take their oath abroad was made because they are currently playing professionally in Europe. It is not feasible for them to travel to Indonesia soon.

"The country needs their services immediately included in the national team's player list. So, we will assist in expediting the oath-taking process so they can officially obtain Indonesian passports," Minister Supratman said.

After taking the oath as Indonesian citizens, Dean, Emil, and Joey will be registered with FIFA by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).

According to FIFA rules, players can be registered before March 13, 2025.

"We hope the PSSI team under Erick Thohir's leadership will not encounter any obstacles. The subsequent process of registering these three naturalized players with FIFA is expected to run smoothly," he concluded.

PSSI is racing against time to register the three players so they can play against Australia on Thursday, March 20, 2025, and Bahrain on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.

Minister Supratman emphasized that the government's support aligns with the public expectation to ensure that the national team can qualify for the 2026 World Cup.