FMT
National Under-19 coach Brad Maloney (Brad Maloney pic)
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have brushed aside an audacious demand
by a UK-based man to give his teenage son, who has Malaysian heritage, an
automatic place in the national Under-19 team without having to go through a
trial.
He also demanded that his 16-year-old son be exempted from being
at a Covid-19 quarantine centre that is mandatory for those coming from abroad.
The affront is among several offers by parents based overseas to
include their sons of Malaysian heritage in the squad that is preparing for the
Under-20 World Cup next year.
FAM general secretary Stuart Ramalingam, in confirming the
offers, said: “We are not interested in bringing any of them for trials as the
present U-19 squad has enough talent.”
Ramalingam said unless a player with Malaysian heritage was back
here on holidays and if it warranted a look at him, he might be invited for
trials during centralised training.
He said the only foreign-based player who attended the first
phase of training last week was US-born Wan Kuzri Ewan Ahmad Kamal, a St Louis
Football Academy midfielder, whose Malaysian parents are living there.
The others who had hoped to make the Malaysian team are the
Becheler brothers, Julian Johan, and Joshua Johan, who are of Malaysian-German
parentage from Germany.
Julian, 18, a goalkeeper, was signed by Super League champions
JDT last year and is expected to be absorbed into the JDTIII squad.
He had a stint with the National U-19 training squad when Bojan
Hodak was handling the team, but he did not make the squad as he did not have a
Malaysian identity card.
Joshua, 17, is a left back with Rot-Weiss Frankfurt in the
Under-17 Hessenliga League.
National Under-19 coach Brad John Maloney, who has worked with a
pool of 50 players, said while he was not ignoring foreign-based players, no
one could demand an automatic place in the final 23.
He said if overseas-based players were brought in, it would be
disrespectful to the local players who had shown quality to qualify for the AFC
Under-19 championship in Uzbekistan from Oct 14-31.
The top four finishers at the AFC championships will qualify for
next year’s Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia.
Malaysia qualified for the tournament when they emerged unbeaten
at last year’s qualifier in Cambodia, defeating the hosts, Thailand, Brunei,
and Northern Mariana.
FAM takes a firm stand on foreign based
Malaysian heritage players
FAM and Under-19 coach Brad are
confident local players are up to the challenge at AFC tournament
Tony Mariadass
FA of Malaysia and national Under-19 coach
Brad John Maloney have firmly confirmed that they are not going out of their way
looking for foreign based Malaysian heritage to join national U-19 team.
FAM general secretary, Stuart Michael
Ramalingam and Australian coach Maloney, told FMT that FAM are happy with the
present squad of local players who have shown tremendous quality having
qualified on merit for the AFC Under-19 championship scheduled to be held from
Oct 14-31 in Uzbekistan.
Malaysia qualified for the AFC tournament
proper, when they emerged unbeaten to emerge champion defeating Cambodia,
Thailand, Brunei and Northern Mariana at last year’s qualifier in Cambodia.
Of late names of mixed parentage players like
Becheler brothers, Julian Johan ad Joshua of Malaysian-German parentage from
Germany, several parents based overseas offering their sons to join the
National Under-19 team and social media recommending Malaysian heritage
players, have surfaced.
Earlier
video gamers were acting as talent scouts to bring foreigners with ancestral
ties to Malaysia into Harimau Malaya as well as state and club teams.
“FAM
has no plans to bring any foreign based Malaysian heritage to the National
Under-19 team. We have talented local players and both FAM and coach Maloney
are happy with batch of local players and confident they will do well. These
are our future players for the national team,” said Stuart Ramalingam.
“The
only foreign based player who attended the first phase of training last week
was Wan Kuzri Ewan Ahmad Kamal (United States-based St Louis Football Academy
midfielder) but he is not of mixed parentage. Both his parents Malaysians based
in United States and Wan was born in USA.”
Stuart
confirmed that there have been foreign based parents offering their sons to
join the team, but FAM was not interested to bring anyone of them for trials in
Malaysia.
“Unless
a said player is back on holidays in Malaysia and if our research based on
information on the player warrants to have a look at him, we may invite him for
a few days of trials during the centralised period.
“Our
local players are good enough and we are not looking for any foreign based with
mixed heritage to join then team,” stressed Stuart.
He
said that social media recommending foreign based with mixed heritage, is an
insult to the local players.
Maloney on the other hand said that while it
was good to hear foreign based Malaysian heritage players are interested to
join the national Under-19 team, but his present squad have worked hard to come
this far and he is happy with their quality and standard.
“I have no plans to bring in any of these
foreign based Malaysian heritage players,” said Maloney.
“No one can an earn an automatic place in the
team.
“These local players qualified on their own
merit for the AFC championship and in some ways it is disrespectful to these
players who have worked trained and worked hard for the country and under
difficult circumstances, if we look at foreign-based players.
“Any player who wants to take their place must
have outstanding talent and have to fit into the team plan.
“But I am not chasing any foreign based players
and no one can come demanding to be included in the team.”
It is reliably learnt, there is a 16-year-old player
of Malaysian heritage based in England who wants to join the National Under 19
but his father does not want him undergo quarantine and wants an automatic slot
in the final squad without having to go through a trial or centralised
training.
On Wan Kuzri, Maloney said he feels that he
can contribute to the team and whether he makes the final squad of 23, will
depend on his progress.
“No one is assured an automatic slot. Everyone
has to earn their slot,” added Maloney.
Maloney also said he has been working with
about 50 players and best will make then squad.
He also added some players not called up for
the 1
“But we keep tabs on all players and some may
not be up to the mark currently and may not get a call up.”
The second of phase of training begin on Monday (Aug 3) till Aug 30 where 30 players have been called up for training.
BIL
|
NAMA
|
UMUR
|
POSISI
|
PASUKAN
|
1.
|
ARIF AIMAN MOHD HANAPI
|
18
|
MF
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
2.
|
MUHAMAD UMAR HAKEEM SUHAR REZWAN
|
18
|
MF
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
3.
|
MUHAMMAD FIRDAUS RAMLI
|
18
|
DF
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
4.
|
MUHAMMAD FIRDAUS KAIRONNISAM
|
18
|
MF
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
5.
|
MUHAMAD ALIF ABDUL MUTALIB
|
18
|
MF
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
6.
|
MUHAMMAD SHAFI AZSWAD SAPARI
|
19
|
MF
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
7.
|
DARYL SHAM K. K. GEORGE
|
18
|
FW
|
JOHOR DARUL TA’ZIM
|
8.
|
LUQMAN HAKIM SHAMSUDIN
|
18
|
FW
|
SELANGOR
|
9.
|
MUHAMMAD AZRUL HAIKAL RAMLEE
|
18
|
MF
|
SELANGOR
|
10.
|
MUHAMMAD FAHMI DANIEL MOHD ZAAIM
|
18
|
RB
|
SELANGOR
|
11.
|
MUHAMMAD FAKRUL IMAN NASZARI
|
19
|
MF
|
SELANGOR
|
12.
|
MUHAMMAD RAIMI SHAMSUL
|
18
|
MF
|
SELANGOR
|
13.
|
MOHD AIMAN AFIF MD AFIZUL
|
19
|
MF
|
KEDAH
|
14.
|
MUHAMMAD AMIRUL AKMAL SAFARINIZAM
|
18
|
MF
|
KEDAH
|
15.
|
MUHAMAD AIMAN FARHAN MUHAMAD FAUZI
|
18
|
LB
|
KEDAH
|
16.
|
MUHAMMAD FAIZ AMER RUNNIZAR
|
17
|
DF
|
AMD B-17
|
17.
|
MOHAMMAD MARWAN ABDUL RAHMAN
|
17
|
DF
|
AMD B-17
|
18.
|
MUHAMMAD KHAIRI SUFFIAN KHAINEYUSRI
|
17
|
FW
|
AMD B-17
|
19.
|
SYAHMI ADIB HAIKAL MOHD SHUKRI
|
17
|
GK
|
AMD B-17
|
20.
|
ZIAD EL BASHEER NORHISHAM
|
17
|
MF
|
AMD B-17
|
21.
|
YUSERIL YUSEKIL
|
18
|
MF
|
SABAH
|
22.
|
MOHD NASIP MOHAMMAD ZAIN
|
19
|
FW
|
SABAH
|
23.
|
ALAN LAGANG KERYER
|
19
|
MF
|
SARAWAK UNITED
|
24.
|
MUHAMMAD AZAM AZMI MURAD
|
19
|
MF
|
TERENGGANU FC
|
25.
|
MUHAMMAD RAHADIAZLI RAHALIM
|
19
|
GK
|
TERENGGANU FC
|
26.
|
MUHD MUSLIHUDDIN ATIQ MAT ZAHID
|
19
|
MF
|
TERENGGANU FC
|
27.
|
AHMAD IRFAN IBRAHIM
|
19
|
GK
|
TERENGGANU FC
|
28.
|
MUHAMMAD RIEZMAN IRFAN MUSTAFAH
|
19
|
GK
|
PAHANG
|
29.
|
ZACHRY RAIFF GHAZIE YEOH
|
18
|
MF
|
BROOKE HOUSE COLLEGE FOOTBALL ACADEMY
|
30.
|
WAN AHMAD KUZRI WAN AHMAD KAMAL
|
18
|
MF
|
ST. LOIUS FOOTBALL ACADEMY
|
