Jakarta, Jan. 13 -- Indonesia's newly appointed national football head coach John Herdman said he is open to adding new naturalized players as part of efforts to raise the team's competitiveness on the global stage.

Indonesia has increasingly relied on naturalized players of mainly Dutch descent under previous coaches Shin Tae-yong and Patrick Kluivert, a strategy that helped lift the team's international profile and results.

Like his predecessors, Herdman said he would not rule out further naturalization as Indonesia seeks to narrow the gap with stronger footballing nations and compete more consistently at the highest level.

"To compete on the world stage, you need first- and second-tier players who have played in the world's top five...