 |
Prince Tunku Ismail Idris helps Malaysia find many quality naturalized players. |
On the evening of June 10, at Bukit Jalil Stadium, the Malaysian team created a shock when they defeated the Vietnamese team with a score of 4-0 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This victory ended Malaysia's 11-year streak of not winning against Vietnam (7 losses, 1 draw), and is a testament to the success of the player naturalization policy, a strategy that bears the clear mark of Prince Tunku Ismail Idris - Crown Prince of Johor and Chairman of Johor Darul Ta'zim Club (JDT).
With great influence in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Tunku Ismail shaped a new direction, bringing Malaysia back to the regional football map with a quality naturalized squad from South America.
Tunku Ismail's Plan
Tunku Ismail was the President of FAM before handing over to Tan Sri Hamidin Amin in 2018. Since then, Malaysia has also tried to naturalize players such as Sumareh, De Paula and Sergio Aguero but without success.
The period from 2018 to 2024 was a nightmare for Malaysian football, as they performed poorly in both regional and continental tournaments. That period also coincided with the time when Tunku Ismail almost completely withdrew from his role at FAM.
However, from 2024, Tunku Ismail began to rebuild his influence at FAM. He built a new strategy, focusing on naturalizing younger talents who were playing in Europe and were in line with modern football philosophy.
Last year, Tunku Ismail revealed plans to naturalize 6-7 European players, mainly from England and Southern Europe, to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. These players are all of Malaysian origin, and meet FAM's criteria.
However, the negotiation and evaluation process of these players by FAM did not go as expected, leading to adjustments from Tunku Ismail. The Crown Prince of Johor began to look for players of South American origin, who were playing for many teams in Europe.
From here, names like Imanol Machuca (Argentina/Velez Sarsfield), Joao Figueiredo (Brazil/Istanbul Basaksehir), Facundo Garces (Argentina/Alaves), Gabriel Palmero (Spain/Tenerife) and Jon Irazabal (Spain/Sabah FK) agreed to become Malaysian national team players.
According to Malay Mail , Tunku Ismail, as chairman of JDT - the team that won the Malaysia Super League 11 times in a row (2014-2025), has applied the successful model from the club to the national team.
Tunku Ismail stressed that the appointment of a new CEO for FAM must have football expertise, a wide network and experience, to elevate “Harimau Malaya”. Coaches Peter Cklamovski (national team) and Nafuzi Zain (U23), who officially took office from 1/1, are testament to his strategic vision.
 |
Malaysia's naturalized stars are too strong for Vietnam. |
Future
Although he no longer holds this position, Tunku Ismail is still a strong candidate for the leadership position in the FAM election in February 2026, after Hamidin announced that he would not run for re-election.
Tunku Ismail’s experience in upgrading JDT and his international network is a key factor, having led FAM to achievements such as qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup after 43 years and improving the FIFA ranking from 171 to 132.
The 4-0 win over Vietnam, with an explosion of naturalized players, reflected the success of the policy initiated by Tunku Ismail. Tunku Ismail's extensive relationships with scouts, technical directors or coaches of many teams in South America and Europe helped FAM in finding players.
Figueiredo, with 12 goals in the 2024/25 Süper Lig, and Machuca, have exploited Vietnam's defensive weaknesses. Facundo Garces, with the quality of a central defender playing for Alaves in La Liga, shows a huge difference in skill with the Vietnamese strikers.
These players have helped Malaysia make great progress, especially when facing a rival who has just won the regional championship like Vietnam. Despite facing criticism from Southeast Asian fans about the "purity" of the squad, Tunku Ismail has remained steadfast in his strategy.
With plans to naturalize more players and reform management, he aims to bring Malaysia to the 2030 World Cup. The victory over Vietnam is a stepping stone, but also a pressure for FAM to maintain its strategy in the future.
Source: https://znews.vn/nguoi-dung-sau-chien-thang-4-0-cua-malaysia-truoc-viet-nam-post1559924.html
Comment (0)