KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is baffled and unaware of any plans or the legitimacy of the supposed AFC Nations League, which is said to start next year.
The governing body’s response follows speculation on social media about a proposal by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the football governing body for 47 Asian nations, to introduce an international friendly league similar to the Nations League established by UEFA in 2018.
It is understood that the alleged AFC Nations League, which is rumoured to run from next year until 2028, will divide Asian countries into three leagues based on their regions—Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
According to a social media post, Malaysia, ranked 133rd in the world, is allegedly grouped in the same league as Nepal, Mongolia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and Guam.
However, the format of the competition remains unclear.
Speaking to Scoop, FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman said the association would have been officially informed if the alleged AFC proposal were legitimate.
“We are not aware of this plan and have no information regarding its legitimacy. If it were legitimate, the AFC would have certainly informed us, as we share a very good relationship with them.
“For now, our primary focus is on preparing our team for upcoming tournaments such as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. We are not looking beyond these at this moment,” Azman said when contacted.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Football Association President Tabith Awal expressed hope that the speculation is true, citing the potential benefits of such a tournament for his national team, including more international match experience and an improved FIFA ranking.
“We have seen the speculation on social media, but I’m unsure whether this AFC proposal is genuine. Thus far, we have not received any updates from the AFC regarding this matter, but we hope the speculation is accurate.
“The reason we hope this is true is that such a format and tournament would provide a great opportunity for us to play competitive football regularly against other Asian teams.
“With this format, our FIFA ranking could improve, and our team would grow stronger due to the increased number of matches outside the FIFA match calendar.
“Organising international friendlies is not easy for us compared to other teams, so we would view this as a valuable opportunity,” said Tabith when contacted.
Bangladesh, ranked 189th in the FIFA rankings, is preparing for the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification, which is scheduled to take place between March 2025 and March 2026. — November 20, 2024