KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has made it clear that recruiting heritage footballers is a short-term strategy, not a long-term solution.
This governing body’s response comes after years of criticism from Harimau Malaya fans, who argue that the naturalisation and recruitment of heritage footballers have been overly prioritised over the development of local talents.
Currently, the Harimau Malaya team, under the guidance of Pau Marti Vicente, has three naturalised players: Endrick dos Santos, Paulo Josue, and Romel Morales.
The team also includes five heritage players: Matthew Davies, Corbin Ong, Nooa Laine, Daniel Ting, and Darren Lok.
FAM is reportedly in the process of adding two more heritage players, Mats Deijl and Wan Kuzain Wan Ahmad Kamal, in the coming months.
Speaking to Scoop, FAM deputy president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said that the governing body has learned from its past mistakes and will now focus on finding heritage players who are genuinely interested in representing the national team.
In 2021, the naturalisation program was paused after Harimau Malaya’s failed bid to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
The program faced criticism when naturalised players like Guilherme de Paula (Brazil) and Liridon Krasniqi (Kosovo) did not perform well on the international stage.
The debate intensified last year when naturalised player Lee Tuck left Malaysia to return to England, where he now manages his property investment business, Unified Property Ltd.
“As we all know, we have temporarily stopped the naturalisation process for players. This is because they need to play in our domestic league for more than five years to be eligible to represent the country. By the time they complete those five years, they may no longer be in their prime, and their quality may decline.
“However, we won’t stop football clubs from assisting with the naturalisation process, and we will still keep such players on our radar.
“That said, we find the heritage process to be more fruitful, as these players often show a greater desire to play for the national team.
“When we initiated this program in 2018, despite its ups and downs, it indirectly raised the standard of our national team and created space for more heritage players who were keen to represent Malaysia.
“As a governing body, we always welcome players with an interest in joining the national team, and we certainly need them for the team’s betterment. But this will not be our long-term plan, as our priority remains providing more exposure to local talents.
“Even though many players with Malaysian ancestry have reached out to us, we can’t work on the documentation process for all of them. FAM has strict guidelines, and we verify all their details before proceeding with their applications,” Yusoff said when contacted.
Beyond football, Malaysia has naturalised athletes in other sports, such as athletics, diving, and rugby, to represent the country in recent decades. – September 30, 2024