The origin of naturalized Malaysian players still causes pain

The Malaysian team can avoid the worry of FIFA awarding a 0-3 loss to the Vietnamese team due to the unclear issue of naturalized players, as there have been no complaints. But the country's fans are still upset about the incident.

'Massive naturalization, Malaysian football is at risk of losing all identity'

In a recent article in The Star , veteran sports journalist Rizal Hashim expressed his concern that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)'s naturalization of players with unclear and ambiguous origins would cause the future of football in this country to lose all identity and risk breaking down all development structures. The most topical story at the moment is the origin of the five naturalized players in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the second round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.

Malaysian football still has a headache over the issue of ambiguous naturalized players

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

According to Malaysian press, FAM will soon add 5 to 6 new naturalized players to strengthen the team competing in the Central Asian Football Championship - CAFA Nations Cup 2025 (from August 29 to September 8), and the next matches in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers (mid-October). This is a project that FAM is pursuing vigorously towards the goal of competing for a ticket to the 2030 World Cup, including the need to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup Finals to create a stepping stone and increase the trust of fans; despite the decline of domestic tournaments, many clubs going bankrupt and ceasing operations.

"The policy of naturalization to strengthen the national team is not new in Malaysian football. However, naturalized players must have clear and transparent origins. Until now, although FIFA may not have considered this issue if the government had issued the necessary documents (on Malaysia's recent naturalized players), fans still question the criteria behind those decisions," said journalist Rizal Hashim. He said that FAM and those responsible such as Malaysia coach Cklamovski still concealed the true origins of naturalized players, even though the documents may be valid.

"It is this lack of transparency that risks alienating fans and undermining the development of local talent," journalist Rizal Hashim stressed. "Naturalisation must be guided by integrity, fairness and a genuine connection to Malaysia. It must complement - not replace - the much-needed nurturing of indigenous players. The national team must be a source of pride and identity for Malaysians, not a squad of foreign players whose ancestry is even vaguely defined."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguon-goc-cau-thu-nhap-tich-malaysia-van-gay-nhuc-nhoi-185250707222055852.htm