PETALING JAYA, Oct 2 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) remains open to choosing quality heritage players from abroad to strengthen the Harimau Malaya national squad and improve its international performance.
FAM vice-president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi emphasised that the rejection of Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles’ player, Mats Deijl, by Fifa will not deter FAM from continuing its efforts to find heritage players who can enhance competitiveness alongside local talents.
“I hope the efforts to find heritage players based abroad will not hinder our goal of securing the best players to strengthen the national team.
“Although the attempt to secure Mats Deijl was unsuccessful, we should still thank him for his sincere desire to play for Malaysia,” he told reporters after a collaboration signing ceremony between FAM and Warner Music Malaysia here today.
The first project of the collaboration will be the creation of an official football anthem for Harimau Malaya, set to be launched by March next year, ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup final from March 17 to 25.
When asked about the possibility of the Harimau Malaya being fully composed of heritage players, Yusoff said the presence of heritage players is meant to raise the quality of play and challenge local players, not to completely replace them.
“I think this factor serves as a catalyst to elevate the national team to a higher level. If we look at the past few years, it has been difficult for players to represent the country. When they face defeats, the passion for representing the country seems to diminish.
“If we had 11 Arif Aiman Hanapis (Johor Darul Ta’zim right winger), of course, we wouldn’t need foreign players, but to reach that level, we need to build a team that can compete. Without players emerging from this process, it will be challenging,” he said.
Yesterday, FAM confirmed Mats Deijl did not meet eligibility requirements to represent Malaysia through his lineage, as stated in a letter from Fifa dated September 25.
— Bernama
