“I just want to say thank you to everyone. This is a special day for me, for my family, for my grandparents. They must be very proud of me. This is a proud moment. Thank you, PSSI chairman and everyone for your contributions. I am very happy to be an Indonesian citizen. Singing Indonesia Raya was a very beautiful moment today. I even closed my eyes and cried. Again, thank you,” added Sandy.
The naturalization process for Jordi Amat and Sandy Walsh was at the request of national team coach Shin Tae-yong. Both are scheduled to play in the 2022 AFF Cup and the upcoming 2023 Asian Cup.
However, Jordi Amat and Sandy Walsh have to go through the process of changing the federation first at FIFA before they can play for Indonesia. In June, they trained with the national team in Bandung during the FIFA Matchday against Bangladesh.
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Meanwhile, another candidate for naturalization, Shayne Pattynama, is awaiting approval from the House of Representatives and a presidential decree before he can be sworn in. (rr)