KUALA LUMPUR – Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal is on the defensive against online criticism of his American brother’s potential move to represent the Malaysia national football team.
When contacted by Scoop, Wan Fayhsal claimed that his 26-year-old younger brother, Wan Kuzain Wan Ahmad Kamal, who currently plays for a Missouri-based club in the United States, had been contacted by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Scoop has reached out to FAM for confirmation on the matter.
“FAM is already contacting my brother (Wan Kuzain) and he is in the midst of completing his… not naturalisation, but maybe ‘conversion’ to become a Malaysian passport holder. He is going to play for Malaysia soon.
“They (netizens) don’t need to drag me into this mess… I have nothing to do with sports, but as his brother, I know (about the matter) because I’m in contact with him and my father,” added Wan Fayhsal.
The Machang MP also confirmed that Wan Kuzain was an American citizen “with Malay/Malaysian parentage.”
The deputy Perikatan Nasional Youth chief also denied his brother’s US citizenship had any impact on the critical positions he has taken against the US regarding the ongoing Israel-Palestine war.
“The two issues are unrelated.”
The former deputy youth and sports minister has consistently been vocal in his condemnation of Israel’s attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and had urged the Malaysian government to boycott the Apec Economic Leaders’ Week last year.
He said then that this would be a sign of Malaysia’s protest against the US government’s role in facilitating Israel’s war in Gaza.
Over the past few days, social media users have trained their guns on Wan Fayhsal over several matters related to his brother, including the latter’s status as a US national.
A screenshot of a tweet Wan Kuzain posted in 2022 has also made the rounds on social media platform X, with some claiming that the tweet shows the player’s alleged disdain of smaller tournaments.
Wan Fayhsal’s recent tweet on the matter has also garnered significant backlash. – January 27, 2024