Malaysian football faces crisis after FIFA decision

(NLDO) - FIFA has just announced a transfer ban for more than 60 clubs around the world and Malaysian football accounts for nearly 1/6 of the teams.

FIFA has recently announced a transfer ban on more than 60 clubs worldwide due to financial violations, with unresolved disputes. Of these, Malaysia has up to 9 teams affected, including two representatives in the top division of the National Championship, Terengganu and Kelantan.

Notably, Terengganu, one of Malaysia's top teams, has been banned from transfers for three years, starting from April 2025. The team is facing the risk of withdrawing from the league, even facing the risk of dissolution.

The situation has become more serious when at least two teams have refused to participate in the 2024-2025 season, forcing the tournament organizers to find a solution. The worst thing is that the tournament will face the risk of being reduced from 13 teams to 10, or even 8 teams. This will invisibly affect the preparation of the Malaysian team for the Asian Cup qualifiers, especially the match against Vietnam in June.

Malaysia team (yellow) faces difficulties before playing Vietnam in the ASIAN Cup qualifiers

According to Malaysian media, Perak FC recently dissolved due to financial difficulties and at least three other teams, Kedah Darul Aman FC, Sri Pahang FC and Kelantan Darul Naim FC, are contemplating similar exits as financial problems escalate.

To cope with the crisis, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is accelerating the process of naturalizing players to improve the quality of the national team.

In the upcoming preparation period, Malaysia is expected to complete the naturalization procedures for 3 players, notably defender Jon Irazabal (1996), who graduated from the Bilbao academy (Spain), currently plays for Azerbaijan and is valued at 700,000 euros.

Malaysian press revealed that a total of 7 European players of Malaysian origin are being naturalized before the match against Vietnam. Previously, Malaysia had two new players, midfielder Hector Hevel (Portimonense, Portugal) and defender Gabriel Palmero (CD Tenerife, Spain) joining the team from the beginning of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will gather on May 26, right after round 25 of the 2024-2025 V-League. Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team have more than two weeks to prepare before leaving for Malaysia to compete on June 10.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bong-da-malaysia-doi-mat-khung-hoang-sau-quyet-dinh-cua-fifa-196250508115857129.htm