Anger as bid to ramp up Malaysia's football fortunes backfires
A clumsy effort to boost Malaysia's football success by recruiting players born abroad has gone wrong, according to critics, leading to introspection and demands to prioritise local talent development.
The Malaysian football scene plunged into further turmoil on Wednesday with the complete resignation of the local governing body's executive committee.
This development marks the newest chapter in an ongoing controversy involving seven players who gained citizenship through allegedly falsified paperwork to play for the national squad.
FIFA has charged the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) with submitting altered birth records to establish supposed family ties to the Southeast Asian country, a requirement for eligibility, despite no genuine connections.
The global football authority has barred the players and imposed fines exceeding $450,000 on the FAM.
Both the FAM and the players have filed appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has temporarily lifted the 12-month suspensions pending a review in late February.
Malaysia adores football, yet it has never reached the World Cup and sits at 121st in the rankings, just ahead of neighbours Indonesia.
Devoted fans placed great expectations on the naturalisation initiative started by football officials in 2018, in preparation for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Qatar.
Mohamadou Sumareh, originally from Gambia, debuted for the national team in 2018, and a number of other players born overseas joined soon after.
By the end of 2025, a total of 23 foreign born footballers had received Malaysian citizenship.
However, Malaysia did not advance to the 2022 tournament and saw similar results in attempts to qualify for the current World Cup in North America.
Combined with the current scandal, this has left many in the 35 million strong population confused and furious.
"This is hugely embarrassing," stated Ramkarpal Singh, a well known lawyer and MP, during a parliamentary session after the football issues drew negative international attention.
"Seeing the state of football development in our nation fall this low is deeply upsetting.
"This issue has damaged the country's image and standing," Singh continued.
Grassroots challenges
Experts and analysts argue that phasing out reliance on imported players and tackling foundational problems is essential for progress.
"If Malaysian football had a solid grassroots programme engaging everyone involved, it would not face such troubles," commented Haresh Deol, a prize winning sports writer.
"Progress requires heavy investment in the base level: suitable coaching, sufficient games, and adequate facilities," he explained to AFP.
Observers point out the shortage of dedicated academies for nurturing domestic players.
Shazwan Wong, a coach for young teens at Kepong football club in the capital, an up and coming team that takes part in global events, notes that Malaysian talents trail behind those from nearby countries.
"Each year, fresh faces emerge to don the national colours," he shared with AFP.
"But can they hold their own in Asia against teams from Korea or Japan? Can they match Brazilians or Argentinians on the global stage?"
"We have plenty of players," Shazwan emphasised.
"The issue lies in their standard."
No need for imports
Ivan Yusoff believes that players granted citizenship later in life fail to grasp the true significance of donning the national jersey.
"In my view, naturalisation like this makes no sense," remarked Yusoff, who trains athletes in the busy Sri Melaka area, a cluster of affordable apartments close to downtown.
Football permeates these crowded residential zones, which have given rise to at least eight internationals, including the iconic ex striker Safee Sali.
"Why bring in foreigners? We locals are the ones eager to bring honour to our homeland," Yusoff asserted.
During a midweek youth competition at Selangor FC, one of Malaysia's top clubs, the document fraud affair barely registers with the aspiring young athletes.
Gurneeshan Singh Josen, aged 12, dreams of representing Malaysia at the highest level.
"By training relentlessly and challenging my boundaries, I believe I can reach the national team someday," he said.
"I was not really into football before. But the World Cup changed that for me, especially watching Lionel Messi."
"That is when I discovered my true calling," he added.