Malaysia still does not announce the detailed origin of naturalized players: Everything is still 'vague'

WAIT FOR CLARIFICATION

"I raised the question and also sought information from the Immigration Department and the Home Affairs Ministry of Malaysia. However, I was directed to the national football body (FAM). All I asked for was clarity. The public deserves answers," wrote journalist Avineshwaran on his social media account X.

Malaysia still does not announce the detailed origin of naturalized players: Everything is still 'vague' - Photo 1.

Defender Facundo Garces (right) is under FIFA's radar because he is naturalized but has no Malaysian origins - PHOTO: NGOC LINH

He also cited regional press reports surrounding the issue of naturalized Malaysian players being accused of having unclear origins, falsifying documents and facing investigations from FIFA and AFC. Indonesian newspapers also confirmed that FAM will be punished by FIFA for naturalization fraud, and that the Indonesian team will be punished by losing 0-3 to Vietnam despite winning 4-0 in the second leg of the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on June 10.

"People's trust in the national team must not be compromised. FIFA may have approved naturalized players, but FAM's transparency remains important. In modern football, transparency builds trust - not just following procedures, but also protecting integrity and fan support," journalist Avineshwaran stressed.

Malaysian Football is Still 'Ambiguous'

FAM President Joehari Ayub recently confirmed that Malaysia's naturalized players have been properly vetted by FIFA. "FAM has no reason to hide any information. If we need to make it public, we will not hesitate to do so," Joehari Ayub stressed.

FAM's "ambiguity" (confirming but not announcing details about the origins of naturalized players) has continued to cause speculation. Indonesian website tvOnenews questioned: "If they did nothing wrong in the matter of naturalization, why keep all the details about the origin of the players secret? Indonesian football is also naturalizing players en masse, but they always announce details about where the players come from, like the latest case where the country's football agency is about to complete the naturalization of striker Mauro Zijlstra, 20 years old, 1.88 m tall, born in Zaandam, Netherlands, with family origins from Bandung City, Indonesia".

tvOnenews also posted a clip on their YouTube channel on July 2 with the content: "FIFA and AFC are likely investigating Malaysia's recruitment process for naturalized players. In particular, the player being targeted is defender Facundo Garces (of Argentine origin, currently playing for Alaves Club in the Spanish La Liga), who is said to have no parents, grandparents or direct connection to Malaysia; but has been naturalized as a player with ancestry, to be eligible to play in the match against the Vietnamese team in June."

If this is true, the Malaysian team has violated FIFA's rules on naturalizing players. Because naturalized players without any roots need to live and work in the host country for 5 years to be eligible to play for the national team; similar to the case of player Nguyen Xuan Son of the Vietnamese team.

Meanwhile, another naturalized Malaysian player, Gabriel Palmero (of Spanish descent), said that his grandmother is originally from Malaysia, but also admitted that neither he nor his grandmother had ever been to Malaysia before. This information was posted on a TikTok account on July 2. Gabriel Palmero, as well as Facundo Garces, both played in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/malaysia-van-khong-cong-bo-nguon-goc-chi-tiet-cau-thu-nhap-tich-moi-thu-van-map-mo-185250703224530682.htm