Indonesian fans 'go crazy' over Nam Dinh’s all-foreign starting lineup

Indonesian fans have expressed their views on Nam Dinh FC’s starting lineup made up solely of foreign players.

Nam Dinh continued to show consistent form in the AFC Champions League Two by securing a 1-0 victory over Eastern FC on Hong Kong soil. The attention was not only on the result but also on the lineup Nam Dinh fielded.

Coach Vu Hong Viet deployed 11 players consisting of foreign and overseas Vietnamese. The absence of any local players in the starting eleven quickly caught the eyes of Indonesian fans.

Fans from the Indonesian national team showed particular interest. Some commented that Nam Dinh’s choice to play exclusively with foreign-origin players diminished the Vietnamese football identity on the continental stage: “This is no longer a Vietnamese team; there isn’t a single local player registered in the starting lineup,” an Indonesian fan remarked.

Other fans expressed surprise at this lineup: “This is the first time I have seen a Southeast Asian club start with so many foreign players,”

Fan Oni Hai Sal agreed with Nam Dinh’s approach: “As long as there are clear standards for foreign players to compete, it’s not a problem. The key is to recruit quality foreign players; if the quality is poor, it could even be worse than before,”

a user named Vegas Joel commented: “In my opinion, the AFC should limit foreign players and reserve spots for local players from the club’s country to ensure the overall development of football,”

This victory helps Nam Dinh not only maintain their top position in Group F with a perfect 6 points from two matches, temporarily ahead of Ratchaburi (Thailand) and Gamba Osaka (Japan). However, reliance on foreign players remains a debated issue, especially as regional audiences hope to see more impact from local talents.

Nevertheless, Nam Dinh has demonstrated a different path: prioritizing results by optimizing resources. Starting strong with two wins gives Nam Dinh a great chance to advance past the group stage, and the debate over the “all-foreign lineup” will surely remain a hot topic in Southeast Asia soon.