Seven naturalized Malaysian players have no chance of returning to the national team

FIFA maintained the 12-month ban and financial penalty, leaving the seven naturalized Malaysian players nearly unable to rejoin the national team, even after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The opportunity for the group of seven naturalized players to represent Malaysia again is almost nonexistent, especially if their appeal to the CAS is rejected.

Sports lawyer Nik Erman Nik Roseli stated that the seven players — Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo, and Imanol Machuca — cannot play for the Malaysian team even after serving the 12-month FIFA suspension.

According to Nik Erman, although these players have obtained Malaysian citizenship, they still do not meet FIFA’s international eligibility criteria. “To represent Malaysia, players must have lived in the country for at least 5 years, with a minimum of 183 days per year during that period. This is clearly stated in Article 6, Paragraph 5 of FIFA regulations,” he emphasized.

This means they must undergo the naturalization process again, living and playing in Malaysia for 5 years before being eligible for international competition.

Among them, three players — Irazabal, Figueiredo, and Hevel — are currently with Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), which gives them some advantage. However, age remains a major obstacle: when the ban ends, Holgado will be 36, Garces 32, Machuca 31, Palmero 29, Irazabal 34, Figueiredo 35, and Hevel 35.

Veteran player agent Effendi Jagan Abdullah said their chances of signing with Super League clubs are very slim due to financial constraints and high salary demands. “Most Malaysian clubs lack the resources to pay high wages. Moreover, many of these players are in the latter stages of their careers, making it difficult to meet the demands of international play,” he explained.

Previously, FIFA rejected the appeal from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)and upheld the 12-month suspension, imposing a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs on each player. FAM was also fined a total of 350,000 Swiss francs for violating player eligibility rules.

In its latest statement, FAM said it is awaiting detailed explanations from FIFA before deciding whether to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

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