Citizenship and National Team Eligibility: Comparative Analysis between Indonesian Nationality Law and FIFA Regulation

Abstract

The phenomenon of football player naturalisation is growing alongside the globalisation of sports and the increasing cross-border mobility of players. In Indonesia, the policy on naturalising national team players is implemented under Law No. 12 of 2006 on Citizenship of the Republic of Indonesia, specifically through a naturalisation mechanism in the national interest. However, the citizenship status granted by the state does not automatically entitle a player to represent the national team in international competitions, as they must also meet the eligibility requirements set by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This study aims to analyse the regulations governing the acquisition of citizenship for football players under Indonesian law and FIFA regulations, and to examine the legal implications of FIFA’s eligibility regulations for naturalised players representing Indonesia. This study is a normative legal study employing statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The legal sources include laws and regulations, the FIFA Statutes, the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes, and relevant legal literature. The research findings indicate that Indonesia naturalises football players under Law No. 12 of 2006, while FIFA regulations determine eligibility to play for the national team by requiring a genuine link to the country being represented. This study found a dual legal regime between legal citizenship and sporting nationality, meaning that naturalised players must simultaneously meet both national citizenship requirements and FIFA eligibility criteria. Therefore, harmonisation between national citizenship laws and FIFA regulations is necessary to ensure legal certainty and the effectiveness of football player naturalisation policies in Indonesia