Indonesian media comments on naturalized star not yet eligible to play for Vietnam national team

Indonesian media states that the Brazilian-origin naturalized defender for the Vietnam squad is ineligible under FIFA regulations, even with citizenship, because the mandatory five-year continuous residency condition has not been met.

Superball (Indonesia) recently published an article stating that Vietnamese naturalized Brazilian-born defender Do Phi Long still does not meet FIFA criteria to play for the national team.

According to Superball, although Vietnamese naturalization procedures are complete, obtaining a passport is only the first step. The more crucial requirement is the minimum five-year continuous residency after age 18 for players without ancestral ties to the country they wish to represent.

Do Phi Long has played in V.League for over six years for The Cong Viettel, Sai Gon FC, SLNA, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, and currently SHB Da Nang. However, this period is not considered continuous because he left Vietnam from December 2021 to July 2022 to return to Brazil and play for Gremio Esportivo Anapolis.

Due to that interruption lasting over half a year, FIFA only counts the continuous residency starting from mid-July 2022 for this 1.95m-tall center-back. Therefore, as of now, he has not yet completed four consecutive years of living and playing in Vietnam, falling short of the five-year requirement.

Under current regulations, Do Phi Long will only become eligible to play for the Vietnam national team by July 2027 at the earliest, when he turns 32. This means he will certainly miss upcoming crucial matches, including the fixture against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers and the 2026 ASEAN Cup.

The Superball article also emphasizes that despite his ideal physique and years of V.League experience, there is no guarantee coach Kim Sang-sik will still need him by the time he becomes eligible. Currently, the Vietnam team prioritizes domestic players and only considers adding naturalized players in positions of genuine need.

This information emerges amid intense competition in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, where Malaysia leads with 15 points, three ahead of Vietnam. However, Malaysia also faces potential point deductions due to issues with ineligible naturalized players, making the squad composition topic for Southeast Asian teams even more heated.