KUALA LUMPUR – The future of Peter Cklamovski as head coach of Harimau Malaya is uncertain as Malaysia’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup face mounting challenges amid controversies surrounding seven of its naturalised players.
The 47-year-old Australian, appointed by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in January, now faces a situation where the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) may dock Malaysia’s points or even bar the team from competing.
A source speaking to Scoop on condition of anonymity said the likelihood of Cklamovski leaving was very high, adding that FAM was probably already considering a replacement.
“What is the need for Cklamovski to stay if he loses his best players?” said the source, warning that such a scenario would heavily affect him professionally and personally.
“He’s a really good coach, and let’s hope and pray that he doesn’t leave under these circumstances,” the source added.
“If Malaysia loses the case, the ripple effect will be severe—not just for him, but for the players, the coaching staff, and the entire federation.
“The team was built to compete at the Asian Cup, and losing core players changes everything. We can only hope the situation stabilises soon, but the chances of disruption are very high.”
Meanwhile, former FAM executive Datuk Christopher Raj told Scoop that the association itself will not be suspended, but the national team will probably be barred from the current Asian Cup qualifiers and would only play in the 2029 qualifiers for the 2031 edition.
Christopher said that if Malaysia wins their case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the immediate focus must be on qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup.
However, he warned that failing to win the case in CAS would mean that the national team will go four years without international matches—a setback that could harm Malaysia’s FIFA rankings and make it difficult to schedule competitive matches with higher-ranked teams.
“Our opponents would likely be limited to lower-ranked sides such as Nepal, Bhutan, or Sri Lanka, while top 100 FIFA-ranked teams would have little incentive to play a team potentially ranked as low as 145th,” he said.
“Matches like that don’t help either side improve or gain exposure. Staying active internationally is crucial not just for our ranking, but for the development of our players and the credibility of Malaysian football as a whole.”
The controversy stems from Malaysia’s use of seven heritage players during the third round of Asian Cup qualifiers, including individuals from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and the Netherlands, who were later found to have submitted falsified documents claiming Malaysian ancestry.
In September, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee imposed fines totalling 350,000 Swiss Francs (approximately RM1.9 million) on FAM and handed 12-month bans to each of the seven players.
FAM’s appeal was subsequently rejected, and the case is now headed to the CAS, with a verdict expected potentially by early 2026.
If CAS upholds the sanctions, Malaysia risks severe consequences, including annulled results, lost points, and a ban from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Comparisons have already been drawn to Timor Leste, which faced expulsion from previous qualifiers for fielding ineligible players. – November 10, 2025