Solid team: (From left) Malaysian national football team chief executive officer (CEO) Rob Friend, Johor Regent and JDT Owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Ismail’s sports and international relations adviser Tim Cahill and Malaysia’s High-Performance head Dr Craig Duncan pose for the cameras. - Photo taken from Tunku Ismail's Instagram page
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia could see more mixed heritage players in the national team in upcoming international calendar in March.
To prepare for the Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifiers beginning in March, Johor regent and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim revealed that seven new players have been identified for the national team.
He did not disclose the names, but posted on his social media pages on the latest update, with a picture of him posing with Malaysia's national football team chief executive officer (CEO) Rob Friend, Tunku Ismail’s sports and international relations adviser Tim Cahill and Malaysia’s High-Performance head Dr Craig Duncan.
"We have identified six to seven heritage players for Harimau Malaya and hope the Malaysian government could assist in the process of obtaining Malaysian passports for them to play in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, which starts in March," said Tunku Ismail.
"It's crucial Harimau Malaya starts the campaign on a good note."
