PETALING JAYA — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is committed to seeking and welcoming quality heritage players from abroad to strengthen the Harimau Malaya squad and enhance its international performance.
FAM vice president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi emphasised that the recent rejection of Mats Deijl, a player from Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles, by FIFA will not deter FAM from pursuing heritage players who can enhance the team’s competitiveness alongside local talent.
“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 this collaboration will be the creation of an official football anthem for the Harimau Malaya, expected to be launched by March next year, ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Final Rounds scheduled from March 17 to 25.
Mohd Yusoff also said that the inclusion of heritage players is meant to raise the quality of play and challenge local players, rather than to replace them entirely.
“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 defeat, their passion for representing the country seems to diminish.
“If we had 11 players like Arif Aiman Hanapi (Johor Darul Ta’zim’s 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 that Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles player Deijl did not meet the eligibility requirements to represent Malaysia through lineage, as stated in a letter from FIFA dated Sept 25. — October 2, 2024