Faisal Halim returns to Harimau Malaya

PETALING JAYA —  Eleven months after an acid attack, Speedy winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim has returned to the Harimau Malaya squad.

His name is on the squad list for the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Nepal at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri, Johor, on March 25, ending Faisal’s nearly year-long absence from the national team.

The surprise inclusion was announced by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in a press conference today while unveiling the 27-player squad selected by head coach Peter Cklamovski for centralised training, Bernama reports.

However, the squad list does not feature any new heritage players, despite earlier reports suggesting reinforcements for Harimau Malaya.

Players who were left out of the 2024 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup campaign have been recalled, including Dion Cools, Natxo Insa, Mohd Afiq Fazail, Romel Morales, Arif Aiman Hanapi, Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid and Muhammad Safawi Rasid.

Key members of the AFF Cup 2024 squad such as Paulo Josue, Endrick dos Santos, Muhammad Safwan Mazlan, Muhammad Haqimi Azim Rosli and Stuart Wilkin have retained their spots.

Among the new call-ups is Selangor FC defender Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili.

Harimau Malaya will undergo an eight-day training camp in Johor Bahru before the opening match against Nepal.

Following is the list of 27 players, their age and home team, who are called up for centralised training beginning March 17:

1. Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, 29, Johor Darul Ta’zim
2. Shahrul Mohd Saad, 32, Johor Darul Ta’zim
3. Matthew Davies, 30, Johor Darul Ta’zim
4. La’vere Lawrence Corbin-Ong, 30, Johor Darul Ta’zim
5. Natxo Insa, 39, Johor Darul Ta’zim
6. Mohd Afiq Fazail, 31, Johor Darul Ta’zim
7. Muhammad Nazmi Faiz Mansor, 31, Johor Darul Ta’zim
8. Arif Aiman Mohd Hanoi, 23, Johor Darul Ta’zim
9. Romel Morales, 28, Johor Darul Ta’zim
10. Mohamadou Sumarés, 31, Johor Darul Ta’zim
11. Kalamullah Al-Hafiz Mat Rowe, 30, Selangor
12. Quentin Cheng, 26, Selangor
13. Ahmad Zikri Mohd Khalili, 23, Selangor
14. Harith Hail Adam Afar, 23, Selangor
15. Nooa Hamzah Laine, 23, Selangor
16. Mohamad Faizal Abdul Halim, 27, Selangor
17. Muhammad Safari Rapid, 28, Terengganu
18. Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid, 26, Terengganu
19. Muhammad Safran Mazlan, 23, Terengganu
20. Daniel Sang Ting, 33, Sabah
21. Stuart John Wilkin, 27, Sabah
22. Paulo Josue, 36, Kuala Lumpur City
23. Muhammad Haqimi Azim Rosli, 22, Kuala Lumpur City
24. Muhammad Haziq Nadzli, 27, Perak
25. Mohamed Syamer Kutty Abba, 28, Penang
26. Dion-Johan Cools, 29, Buriram United
27. Endrick Dos Santos, 30, Ho Chi Minh City – March 13, 2025