KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) needs to ensure clear communication before bringing any foreign footballers into the national squad or it would be a “waste of time”.
Former national head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee expressed his scepticism when asked about the speculation surrounding the potential inclusion of 25-year-old Wan Kuzain Wan Ahmad Kamal, currently playing for a Missouri-based club, St Louis City 2, in the United States, in the senior national team.
According to Kim Swee, the crucial factor is whether the current Harimau Malaya gaffer, Kim Pan-gon, wants Kuzain – who is the younger brother of Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal – on the team.
He said FAM would need to ensure proper documentation for Kuzain’s eligibility to play for Harimau Malaya, stressing that FAM’s efforts should align with Pan-gon’s preferences.
“It’s up to Kim Pan-gon to decide whether to field him and analyse whether he’s fit to play for the country.
“Say Kuzain has proper documentation, but Pan-gon doesn’t want him, it’s going to be a waste of time for FAM to undertake the documentation process for foreign footballers like him.
“Hence, before or even after his documentation gets through, Kuzain and Pan-gon have to communicate and be on good terms and Kuzain should know whether Pan-gon wants him to be part of the national team radar or not.
“If Pan-gon is seriously interested in Kuzain, FAM has to expedite the documentation process so that Kuzain complies with the country’s rules and regulations,” said the Sabah FC head coach when contacted.
Kuzain, who plays as a midfielder, has trained with and represented the US at the under-17 level from 2013 to 2015.
The American, born in Illinois, also has experience training with the Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord in 2015.
He is eligible to represent the US or Malaysia due to his Malay/Malaysian parentage, with both of his parents being Malay.
However, his commitment to the Malaysia national team faced scrutiny in the past.
In November 2019, Kuzain was called up to train with the Malaysia under-23 national team under the guidance of Kim Swee ahead of the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, but he was left out of the squad due to citizenship documentation issues.
“When we first approached Kuzain during my time at FAM, it was because we found out that he was one of the emerging talents in America, and we believed that he would be a great addition to our national team as he had never rejected the opportunity to play for Harimau Muda.
“He had a long-term dream to represent the senior national team in the USA, and slowly, as his career progressed, his opportunities dwindled.
“Even when we wanted to bring him into our national team, the process failed due to his documentation,” Kim Swee added.
Kuzain’s commitment to the national team was also questioned by Brad Maloney, the head coach of Harimau Muda from 2020-2022.
It was reported that the Australian coach told Kuzain to resolve his issues and commit to the national team, comparing him with Luqman Hakim Shamsudin, who played for the Belgium-based club KV Kortrijk at that time.
Kim Swee, who is also the Football Coaches’ Association of Malaysia president, cautioned Kuzain about the potential risks of expanding his career in Malaysia, including the possibility of relinquishing his American citizenship.
“If Kuzain starts playing for Malaysia now, he may lose his status in the USA as a home-grown player, and his status will automatically turn into that of an import player according to the rules and regulations of Major League Soccer.
“Hence, he needs to think twice before joining the national camp. If he decides to prioritise his career in the USA and abandons the country, it might create an issue among netizens.
“Whether he’s ready to sacrifice his citizenship for the country is up to him to decide,” he said.
There was a heated debate among local football fans last year when naturalised player Lee Tuck abandoned Malaysia and returned to England to run his property investment business under the name Unified Property Ltd. – January 28, 2024