Indonesian football observer Mohamad Kusnaeni believes that the large influx of diaspora players joining clubs in the Indonesian League is a natural process to increase playing time.
"I see this as a natural process, meaning that the players who move (to Indonesian League clubs) are generally those who are unable to compete in other countries, at a high club level," said Mohamad Kusnaeni when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He made this statement in response to a question about a number of Indonesian-born or diaspora players who decided to join clubs in the Indonesian League.
Since the start of the 2025 season, there have been five diaspora players who have decided to join clubs in the Indonesian League, such as Jordi Amat from Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia) to Persija Jakarta, Rafael Struick from Brisbane Roar (Australia) to Dewa United, Jens Raven from FC Dordrecht (Netherlands) to Bali United, and Thom Haye from Almere City and Eliano Reijnders from PEC Zwolle (Netherlands) to Persib Bandung.
In the middle of the season, Shayne Pattynama from Buriram United (Thailand) joined Persija and Dion Markx from TOP Oss (Netherlands) to Persib.
Most recently, Mauro Zijlstra, the striker for FC Volendam in the 2025/2026 Eredivisie, the top tier of the Dutch League, has agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract with Persija, while Ivar Jenner has left FC Utrecht to join Dewa United.
