U22 Malaysia cannot summon naturalized star for surprising reason

(Dan Tri) - Sabah FC unexpectedly refused to release Fergus Tierney to U22 Malaysia for the 33rd SEA Games, putting coach Nafuzi Zain's team in a difficult position before the opening match against U22 Laos.

Sabah FC striker Fergus Tierney will miss out on the Malaysia U22 squad for the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand. This was confirmed by Sabah FC General Manager Mohd Joh Wid after discussions with head coach Jean-Paul de Marigny.

Sabah FC management had proposed allowing Tierney to play in the opening Group B match against Laos on 6 December at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, and then return to the club. However, coach De Marigny was determined to keep the 22-year-old for the FA Cup final against Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) on 14 December at Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Tierney is still on the list of U22 Malaysia for SEA Games 33 (Photo: Getty).

Mohd Joh told BH Sukan: "Our proposal was to give Tierney one game to support the U22 team against Laos, after which he would return to the club. However, the coach still wanted Tierney to stay with the team and focus on the (FA Cup) final.

For this final, the coaching staff informed us that if Sabah reached the final, Tierney would not be able to play for the U22 team. I am not responsible for this because we have given the target to the head coach.

That is one of the things he wanted, and since it is the coach's commitment, I do not want to interfere with his decision. For us, the national team and the club are both important, but anyway, the coach has his own goals. We respect the head coach's decision and in short, Sabah needs Tierney's services."

Tierney is currently a mainstay for Sabah. Apart from the FA Cup final, Sabah also face a Super League match against PDRM at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium on December 6, the same day Malaysia U22s face Laos.

Currently, among the star players training with the Malaysia U22 team in preparation for the SEA Games are Terengganu FC defender Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili and Kuala Lumpur FC striker Haqimi Azim Rosli.

Malaysia U22 coach Nafuzi Zain previously expressed hope that there would be a "bright spot" for him to bring the best players into the national team, especially when the mandatory task is to win three points against Laos U22 to open up the opportunity to enter the semi-finals.

"In terms of preparation, we have been training even in a situation where we are short of players. There are not enough real players. Maybe some of them will join training and then come back to play for the club and then join the team again," Nafuzi said.

After the match against Laos, U22 Malaysia will face championship candidate U22 Vietnam in the final match of Group B at Rajamangala Stadium on December 11.

Yesterday afternoon (December 3), the Malaysian Football Federation announced the list of 23 players for the 33rd SEA Games, including Tierney. Today (December 4), U22 Malaysia will leave for Thailand to prepare for the match with U22 Laos.

List of U22 Malaysia participating in SEA Games 33

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/u22-malaysia-khong-the-trieu-tap-ngoi-sao-nhap-tich-vi-ly-do-bat-ngo-20251204083444144.htm