Malaysia strengthens national team through aggressive naturalization policy

Malaysian football has become a 'hot potato' in Asian football with its aggressive naturalization policy.

The Malaysian 'New Straits Times' reported on the 22nd (Korean time) that "former Malaysia national team captain Safee Sali argued that the recruitment of mixed-race players for 'Harimau Malaya (Malaysian Tiger, nickname for the Malaysian national team)' is not a signal of failure."

The outlet reported that "Sali dismissed the criticism that the increasing reliance on naturalized players is due to the poor performance of existing players. He said it is merely a natural growth process for the national team and not a desperate solution."

Malaysia has recently been actively implementing a naturalization policy. It is following Indonesia's model, which has brought in a large number of Dutch mixed-race players by tracing back to the grandparents' lineage. In March, Hector Hebel and Gabriel Palmero made their debuts for the Malaysia national team, and recently, Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Olgado, John Irizabal, Facundo Garces, and Immanuel Machuka have also joined.

As a result, Malaysia boasts a much stronger squad. On the 10th, in the second match of Group F of the final qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, Malaysia defeated Vietnam, led by coach Kim Sang-sik, 4-0. In this match, six naturalized players played, and Figueiredo and Olgado directly contributed to the scoring.

This is not the end. According to 'Metro Malaysia', the Malaysia national team plans to naturalize up to 37 mixed-race players from Argentina.

Bergson da Silva and Manuel Hidalgo from Johor Darul Ta'zim are being mentioned as the next candidates for naturalization. While no specific list has been released yet, it is known that all 37 players have built careers at a certain level in European and South American leagues.

Metro Malaysia claimed that this large-scale naturalization policy is not merely a numerical expansion but a strategic choice accompanied by 'qualitative improvement.' Coach Shin Tae-yong noted in a call with OSEN that "Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia are becoming practically stronger."

As a result, neighboring countries are wary of Malaysia. Indonesia's 'Merdeka' expressed it as 'terrifying,' and Vietnam's 'Soha' said, "If the current trend of naturalization continues, Malaysia could become a threatening team not only in Southeast Asia but also on the Asian stage, making it a significant obstacle for Vietnam, which aims to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup."

Not only Southeast Asian countries but also China shares the same concern regarding Malaysia's mass naturalization. China's 'Sina Sports' stated, "Malaysia is trying to naturalize up to 37 mixed-race players from Argentina. They plan to select 6 to 10 in a September friendly match," adding that "this has sparked heated controversy as the world's largest bloodline naturalization 'audition.'"

The outlet also noted, "Malaysia is primarily looking to naturalize players with bloodlines from football powerhouses such as Argentina, Brazil, and Spain. However, since South America is not a traditional overseas residence for Malaysians, questions are being raised about the suitability of the bloodlines," and reported, "After failing to advance to the World Cup qualifiers in June last year by losing to Oman, Malaysia announced it would adjust its naturalization strategy."

Of course, Malaysia is said to have followed proper procedures in the selection of naturalized players. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has also verified the eligibility of five naturalized players before the match against Vietnam. Nevertheless, Vietnamese media have not been able to shake off suspicions, citing the case of East Timor, which had been disqualified from 29 matches due to having created fake naturalized players through document forgery in the past.

One thing is clear: as long as Malaysia does not commit any wrongdoing, it is only going to get stronger in the future. After six consecutive failures to qualify for the World Cup, China's Sina Sports expressed concern, saying, "If Malaysia's Argentine 'audition' passes, they will not only become a rising team in Southeast Asia but will also be competitive across Asia."

Amid the ongoing concerns and criticisms from neighboring countries, Sali defended Malaysia's naturalization policy. He stated, "I believe there is no problem as long as we comply with FIFA regulations" and added, "Certainly, previous players were not failures. They did their best. However, football continues to evolve, and we must keep improving in terms of performance and results."

He added, "The additional naturalization depends on coach Peter Klamoski. He knows what is necessary to develop the team" and mentioned, "As long as players meet the coach's criteria and adapt to the system, in my view, there is no problem whatsoever."

He also requested fans to stop the criticism. Sali emphasized, "The important thing is the success of the team. Continuous negative attitudes do not help us move forward," and stated, "We do not violate FIFA regulations. To compete with the best, we need results. That is how we show we belong at the top."

[OSEN]