Unable to call up naturalized stars, Malaysia makes shocking decision

(Dan Tri) - The Malaysian team surprised many people when they withdrew from the Central Asian Championship (CAFA) because they could not call up their naturalized stars.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced: “FAM would like to announce that the Malaysian national team will not participate in the 2025 Central Asian Football Federation Championship (CAFA Cup 2025).

Malaysia withdrew from the 2025 CAFA tournament because it could not summon naturalized stars (Photo: FAM).

Although Malaysia was initially eager to participate in the CAFA Cup, the tournament was subject to changes that put the tournament outside the official FIFA International Competitions (FIFA Days) schedule. This affected the team’s ability to prepare.

The latest fixtures, updated after the official draw, will take place from August 29 to September 8, outside the FIFA Days, meaning clubs are not required to release players. The Malaysian team, with key players playing in countries such as Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Japan, will face major obstacles in assembling a strong squad.

In FAM's statement, it is clear that the reason they decided to withdraw from the CAFA 2025 tournament (even though the tournament had been drawn) was related to not being able to summon naturalized players from Europe and South America.

That makes Malaysia worried that they will not achieve good results in the Central Asian tournament, affecting their ranking in the FIFA rankings. They do not see the tournament as a place for local players to rub shoulders, but as a real battle.

The Central Asian Championship brings together many strong teams such as Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman... Refusing to participate in the tournament means that Malaysia misses a great opportunity to meet the top teams in Asia.

Malaysia fears that failure with its local players will cause them to lose points in the FIFA rankings (Photo: VFF).

“We have players playing in the top leagues in the world like Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Japan. It is unrealistic to guarantee that they are ready to play in CAFA,” said coach Peter Cklamovski.

In addition, logistics, player fitness and the impact on the overall budget are also important factors. I do not want to jeopardize the health and fitness of the players or enter the tournament with an incomplete squad.”

According to some sources, Singapore will replace Malaysia to compete in CAFA 2025. They will be in Group B with Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/khong-goi-duoc-dan-sao-nhap-tich-malaysia-dua-ra-quyet-dinh-gay-soc-20250716200941745.htm