No-go for naturalised players: FAM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is not interested in the services of naturalised players who lack a "traceable relationship" with Malaysia.
FAM in a statement today said they would only give the green light to players who had blood ties to the country or were born here to play for the country.
The football governing body also noted that opening the door to naturalised players would also destroy the future of the younger players being developed here.
"We cannot be complacent with our passion for improving the quality of football in the country by selecting naturalised players. It is also akin to sabotaging all future development plans that have been drawn up due to lack of opportunities at the top of the pyramid solely due to an excessive influx of naturalised players.
"The situation is different for mixed-blood players because they have a birthright. Furthermore, how many players of mixed-blood can there be found? The football market will not be able to be dominated by players of mixed-blood.
"However, it can be conquered by naturalised players because anyone can become one. A naturalised player is one who has acquired citizenship through living in Malaysia for a certain period of time or any other criteria enforced by the government," the statement said.
FAM also said that players who obtained a Malaysian passport through their football career could take advantage of the "visa-on-arrival" or "visa-free access" to certain countries to avoid travel restrictions that would have existed with their original passport.
"We should not be too naive to think that players from other continents who apply for a Malaysian passport are keen to play for the country. It is possible that these players will use their Malaysian passport to be registered as Asian players so that they can play in other leagues where they would have otherwise not qualified for," the statement added. — Bernama