PRESENCE OF NATURALISED PLAYERS WON'T CLOSE DOOR ON YOUNG PLAYERS - SAFAWI

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- Terengganu FC skipper Safawi Rasid believes the absorbtion of naturalised players into the national team (Harimau Malaya) will not close the door to young players being selected to represent the country.

He said apart from providing a healthy competition among players, it also opens up space for young players to mobilise efforts to win the hearts of Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski.

"For me, sometimes some local players are good, some are the opposite, the same is with the naturalised players who are good and vice versa, but it's up to the head coach to decide.

"It is a challenge for local players and a healthy competition to play for the national squad," he told reporters at the 2024/25 ASEAN Club Championship (ACC) Trophy Tour here today.

Yesterday, the Regent of Johor and Johor Darul Ta’zim owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, revealed that the Harimau Malaya squad is likely to be strengthened with several new faces during the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign starting in March.

Tunku Ismail was quoted as saying six to seven naturalised players have been identified to represent Harimau Malaya, hence he urged the government to assist in the process of obtaining Malaysian passports so that they can play for the Harimau Malaya squad.

For the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers which will take place from March 25 to March 31 next year, Malaysia is drawn in Group F with Vietnam, Nepal and Laos.

Only the group winners will qualify for Asia's premier football tournament in Saudi Arabia from Jan 7 to Feb 5, 2027. 

-- BERNAMA