The FMT News
Sneaking into Harimau Malaya
– via video games
PETALING JAYA: Video gamers are on the hunt for foreigners,
hoping to turn them into Malaysia’s next football stars.
They comb the databases of games like “Football Manager” to
locate foreigners who have an ancestral background in Malaysia.
These gamers have added a worrying dimension to the question of
allowing foreigners into the national team.
A local gamer, Zulkifli Malik, has recommended a Congolese,
Marcel Kalonda, and a New Zealander, Harry Edge, to the Football Association of
Malaysia.
Another unidentified gamer alerted FAM to England-based Kobe Jae
Chong.
Zulkifli wrote about Marcel in a football blog: “A Malayan tiger
in Zambia. My name is Marcel Kalonda and I am Malaysian.”
Several ex-internationals told FMT that Harimau Malaya was at
risk of losing its identity.
They wondered if the gamers were doing it for money.
FAM secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam confirmed that the
national body had received the recommendations, but would adopt strict
screening and go by Fifa regulations.
He described the case of 22-year-old Marcel, who plays in
Zambia, as a “social media drama”.
Stuart said Marcel has not shown proof of any links to Malaysia
except to say his late grandfather was Sabahan.
Marcel turned out for Zambia’s Zesco United in the Confederation
of African Football Champions League.
While his credentials might be impressive, the debate rages over
foreign players seeking naturalisation.
The FAM’s Naturalisation Programme Committee set up in 2018
seems to send out the message that Malaysia is serious about naturalising
players.
Committee head Mohd Yusoff Mahadi, who is also deputy FAM president
and national team manager, had recently stated:
“How long does Malaysia have to wait for local players to rise
to the occasion?”
Many said his statement demotivated local players.
Players recruited by the committee include JDT’s Kosovo-born
midfielder Liridon Krasniqi, 28, who was granted Malaysian citizenship recently
after living here for five years.
He is the second non-heritage foreigner to be naturalised after
Pahang’s Gambia-born Mohamadou Sumareh who received citizenship in 2018.
Brazilian Guilherme de Paula, 33, has also applied to be a
naturalised player. After three seasons with Kuala Lumpur, he now plays for
Perak.
FAM and state football associations have previously naturalised
Matthew Davies, Darren Lok, Brendan Gan, Kiko Insa and Natxo Insa, all of whom
have ancestral ties.
Under Fifa rules, players must have a parent or grandfather born
in the country that they wish to represent.
Foreign-born players must live in the country of their choice
for at least five years, after reaching the age of 18, without having played
for another national team.
BLOG VERSION
Tony Mariadass
Suggested heading: Talent scouting at
the wrong place and wrong players
Talent scouting for local players is
virtually non-existent in Malaysia, but there are some who rather talent scout
for foreign based players with ancestral background and recommend to the FA of
Malaysia to consider them to don national colours.
Of late some bloggers in the social
media and one in particular is on a mission to uncover the next football wonderkid on the only
computer game he has devoted to a large portion of his adult life - Football Manager.
He goes by the name Marco Negeri
in his twitter account and whose real name is Zulkilfi Malik, claims to be
passionate of locating players overseas with ancestral background in Malaysia.
As he puts it: “Gamers are a closely-knit community, we would often
trade tactical advice and most importantly, who to sign for our respective
teams. One of the gems of this game is its very extensive database, a tool that
offers amazingly accurate football information that has witnessed a lot of
gaming prophecies achieving real-life successes.
He adds on an article he wrote on a foreign based blog, Footballpink,: “For Malaysians who are
avid fans of the game, there is an even greater thrill; locating foreign-based
players that could qualify to play for Malaysia. That was how the excitement
surrounding Marcel Kalonda ignited.”
And the title of his article in the blog was: A Malayan tiger in Zambia: ‘My name is Marcel Kalonda, and I am Malaysian’.
Marco Negeri, had
begun his article by saying: “Barely two months ago, nobody in Malaysia had
ever heard of him, let alone the club that he plays for in Zambia. Today, he
has emerged as one of the most famous football players in Malaysia, judging by
how rapidly his popularity continues to soar in Malaysian social media domains
and yet, Malaysians have never even seen him play other than the brief
highlights of him or his club, Zesco United that can be found on YouTube. His
name is Marcel Kalonda.”
Zul Malik, who has appeared in a local TV talk show,
where FA of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin, was also a guest, went
on to add in his article: “When I was first alerted of a certain Malaysian-born
Congolese defender that was doing well for one of the gamers, I did the very
thing that other people would have done; I started searching for him. With the
help of a fellow football writer and colleague in Zambia, Mutheliso Phiri, we
were able to track him and hear exclusively from Marcel himself, that he has
blood relations with Malaysia via his grandfather, despite having minimal
memory of him as he had passed away when he was a child.”
Zul Malik had gone on in the article to promote
Klonda extensively and with the hope to promote him to don the Malaysian
jersey.
Klonda, is a 22-year-old central defender who hails from Congo and
played in the CAF-Champions League and CAF Confederation.
While his credentials are impressive and is a young player, but is it
what the national team needs to be flooded with foreign players – be it
naturalised after playing five seasons in Malaysia or with ancestral
background?
Klonda
and New Zealander Harry Edge are two players
currently having been recommended for the national team while another two more
- England-based Kobe Jae Chong and United States-based Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal are
also on the radar.
FAM secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam confirmed that the
national body had received recommendations, but will would adopt strict
screenings and go by Fifa regulations.
Stuart’s reaction to the article about Klonda written by Marco
Negeri was simply:”Crazy when people offer themselves to play for us, but we
have not said anything actually.
He added: “He has not even proved his link to Malaysia.
“It is our duty to contact him when he is recommended to check
validity. But we have not said anything about taking him in. Social media
drama.”
But with a FAM's Naturalisation Programme Committee set up in
2018 and headed by Datuk Wira Mohd Yusoff Mahadi (deputy president of FAM and
Malacca United Soccer Association and national team manager), it certainly
sounds out the message that Malaysia is serious about naturalising players.
And Mahadi’s statement like: "How long Malaysia have to
wait for local players to rise to the occasion?" certainly does not augur
well for the promotion to rely on local talent.
Among the players recruited by Yusoff's committee is JDT's
Kosovo-born midfielder Liridon Krasniqi.
Granted Malaysian citizenship recently after staying for five
years here, he will be the latest to represent the national team.
The 28-year-old Krasniqi became the second foreign footballer
(non-heritage) to be naturalised after Pahang's Gambia-born Mohamadou Sumareh
who received his Malaysian citizenship in 2018.
Brazilian Guilherme de Paula, 33, after three seasons with Kuala
Lumpur (now with Perak) has also applied to be a naturalised player.
Earlier, FAM had naturalised players like Matthew Davies, Darren
Lok, Brendan Gan, Kiko Insa and Natxo Insa, all who had featured for the
national team at one time or another.
Under Fifa rules, players must have ancestral ties to the
country that they wish to represent with either parent or grandfather born
there.
As for foreign-born players, they must live for at least five
years, after reaching the age of 18, on the territory of the relevant
association, and have never played for another national team.
At the rate Malaysia are going on the foreign recruitment drive,
the true identity of the national team will be lost.
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