KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — The decision on the involvement of two new heritage players in the Harimau Malaya squad for the opening match of Group F in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Nepal will depend on the coaching staff’s considerations.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub confirmed the presence of the two players but said that their participation in the actual match would depend on their current performance, compatibility with the team and tactical requirements.
“So far, we do have two heritage players who have started training with the team, but on match day, it will be up to the coach to decide whether they play or not.
“The players who have joined are all of a high standard. We will continue to observe their performance with the national team,” he said when met at the FAM 2025 breaking of fast event here yesterday.
Under the guidance of head coach Peter Cklamovski, Malaysia will face Nepal at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri next Tuesday. This will also be Cklamovski’s debut match since his appointment as head coach.
On Wednesday, Dutch-born Hector Hevel and Spanish-born Gabriel Palermo were introduced as the latest heritage players for Harimau Malaya and also joined the team’s night training session in Johor Bahru.
Hevel, 28, is a midfielder for the Portuguese second-division club Portimonense S.C., while Palermo, 23, plays as a defender for the Spanish third-division club Tenerife B.
Meanwhile, Mohd Joehari said Malaysia faces no obstacles in recruiting heritage or naturalised players if it benefits the team.
“In the short term, anything can happen, so if we need to bring in heritage or naturalised players to strengthen the team, we have no problem with that. Malaysia has no issues in securing such players,” he said.
Mohd Joehari stressed that FAM’s main focus is to strengthen the country’s football development by returning to the fundamentals and implementing the best programmes.
He said FAM is currently designing a development programme module that will be introduced at the state level, in addition to conducting tours to each state to meet with affiliates for monitoring and comprehensive implementation.
“I want to stress that grassroots programmes will be strengthened more aggressively because the main goal is to build a team fully composed of local players,” he added. — Bernama
