Sandy Walsh told the story of the naturalization process to become an Indonesian citizen which started with a direct message from the Indonesian National Team coach to him.
To the Belgian media, Sporza, Sandy Walsh talked about the constitution with Indonesia and decided to become an Indonesian citizen.
He admitted that he had received an offer from the Indonesian National Team to become an Indonesian citizen since 2017 because Sandy Walsh has Indonesian blood from his grandparents.
“The first time I made news in Indonesia was when I was in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with Racing Genk,” said Sandy Walsh, quoted by Sporza.
“They then highlighted that I was descended from there. The national team coach at that time then contacted me via direct message on Instagram. At this time it was not as professional as it is now,” added Sandy Walsh.
Then Sandy Walsh said that the Indonesian national team coach at that time offered himself to defend the Red and White Team.
“He asked if I was interested in playing for Indonesia. He invited me to meet him in Jakarta. I answered yes quite quickly,” said Sandy Walsh.
In the end, it took until 2022 for Sandy Walsh to obtain Indonesian citizenship after he attended classes at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Brussels for several months.
Sandy Walsh took the oath to become an Indonesian citizen with Jordi Amat at the DKI Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights on November 17 2022.
Now Sandy Walsh is one of the naturalized players who was regularly called up by the Indonesian National Team during the Shin Tae Yong era.
Sandy also hopes that the Indonesian National Team, which is currently struggling in the third round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifications, can qualify for the final round.
“Qualifying the World Cup? I believe in it, as do other players,” said Sandy Walsh.
“The victory over Saudi Arabia has given everyone high confidence. In March, a kind of final match awaits us in the match against Australia. If we win, everything will be in our own hands,” said Sandy Walsh.
