Opponent confirms naturalization of 7 players from Europe, Vietnam team faces difficulties

(Dan Tri) - Malaysia confirmed that it will call up 7 more naturalized players from Europe before the match against the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers taking place in June.

Sharing with Berita Harian, Mr. Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who is the Chairman of Johor Darul Ta'zim Club and an influential figure in Malaysian football, confirmed that the national team of this country will have 7 more naturalized players from Europe before the match against the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers taking place in June.

Malaysia will add 7 more naturalized players from Europe before the match against the Vietnamese team (Photo: AFC).

“The seven Malaysian players abroad will add quality and help the national team. This could open up opportunities for the Malaysian team to compete in top leagues and raise the profile of Malaysian football,” said Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

To achieve this goal, we must be united and patient. What matters is not the speed but the direction we go in."

According to Malaysian media, the 7 players that Mr. Ismail Sultan Ibrahim mentioned mostly play in Spain and Portugal. They all have grandparents or parents who are Malaysian. In recent times, Malaysia has gradually naturalized these players so that they can debut in time for the match against the Vietnamese team.

During the recent training session, the Malaysian team introduced two high-quality players from Europe, Hector Hevel and Gabriel Palmero. Hector Hevel showed great influence in the midfield. He also scored 1 goal in the match against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on March 25.

Mr. Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is the "architect" in Malaysia's campaign to naturalize European players (Photo: FAM).

With the addition of 7 new naturalized players (identities unknown), Malaysia can field a 100% naturalized squad against Vietnam. The current squad of the "Tigers" has many "foreign" players such as Josue, Morales, Endrick and Malaysian players such as Matthew Davies, Dion Cools, La'Vere Corbin-Ong, Nooa Laine, Stuart Wilkin.

Ismail Sultan Ibrahim is the former President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the man who led the revolution of the Malaysian national team. He was also the man behind the decision to appoint coach Peter Cklamovski to lead the Malaysian national team.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/doi-thu-xac-nhan-nhap-tich-7-cau-thu-tu-chau-au-tuyen-viet-nam-gap-kho-20250328184947177.htm