KUCHING: Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, says that while he personally prefers to see “true Malaysians” represent Harimau Malaya, the use of heritage and naturalised players is a global trend that cannot be ignored in modern football.
The ongoing debate surrounding Harimau Malaya’s use of heritage and naturalised players has sparked strong opinions among fans, especially following Malaysia’s recent 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the AFC Asian Cup qualification.
“Well, I would love to see a team made up of truly Malaysian players born here, raised here, and speaking Bahasa Malaysia,” Abdul Karim said.
However, he noted that the global football landscape has changed, and Malaysia is not alone in turning to heritage and naturalised players to strengthen its national squad.
“This kind of thing is happening not just in Malaysia but also in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and even China – many of them have players who aren’t originally from those countries or who have mixed heritage,” he explained.
He acknowledge that many of Malaysia’s heritage players have Malaysian mothers, some from Sabah and even Sarawak, even if they grew up overseas and took on their father’s nationality.
“They may be based in Belgium or other parts of Europe, but they’re still half-Malaysian. We bring them back and ask them to play.
“There are also several who are not heritage players, but fully naturalised Malaysians.
“When they’re at the peak of their football careers and able to fit into to the national team, we naturalise them,” he said at a press conference for the Samarahan Bike Challenge 2025 at Baitulmakmur Building II today.
He also pointed out that several naturalised players – those who have lived in Malaysia and were granted citizenship have been added to the team to strengthen the squad at crucial moments in their careers.
“This approach is happening all over the world. Of course, there are pros and cons. Personally, I would love to see only Malaysians in our line-up,” he added.
He then said that if Malaysia were to rely solely on locally born players, the national team’s FIFA ranking – currently around 131 – could decline even further.
Abdul Karim, who watched Malaysia’s win over Vietnam, expressed hope that with a stronger squad, the national team’s ranking could improve to around 120.
Under new coach Peter Cklamovski, Harimau Malaya fielded a revamped squad featuring several debutants.
Heritage players Figueiredo, Holgado, Jon Irazabal, and Facundo Garces made their first appearance, while Imanol Machuca was on the bench.
The team also included naturalised players Endrick, Paolo Josue, Romel Morales, and Corbin Ong, along with other heritage players like Matthew Davies, Hector Hevel, and Nooa Laine.
Local-born players in the squad were Syihan Hazmi, Dion Cools, Arif Aiman, Haziq Nadzli, Harith Haiqal, Faizal Halim, Sikh Izhan, Nazmi Faiz, and Ubaidullah Shamsul.
