Scandal sparks scrutiny over S-E Asia football's foreign talent strategy

In the spotlight: Politics, big personalities and 'arms race' in naturalisation of foreign players

- Philip Wen Regional Correspondent Lu Wei Hoong Malaysia Correspondent Harith Mustaffa

As Malaysia set about sweeping aside footballing minnows Laos in front of a half-empty Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Oct 14, there was a palpable sense that proceedings were being largely overshadowed by off-field distractions.

World football governing body Fifa sanctioned the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on Sept 26 for allegedly falsifying birth certificates used to register seven naturalised players who had played in previous matches. It could ultimately lead to some of Malaysia’s wins in Asian Cup qualifying being overturned and the team missing the 2027 tournament altogether - and recriminations have only just begun.

“I will focus on what I can control: the environment, the mentality, the way we train, and how we prepare,” said national team coach Peter Cklamovski after the convincing 5-1 win against Laos, Malaysia’s first match at home after the scandal broke. “Everything else is out of our control.”

The scandal has reignited scrutiny in Southeast Asia over the growing practice of fast-tracking the naturalisation of foreign-born footballers, and the politics and big personalities driving those decisions.

One major factor has been the expansion of the World Cup tournament from 32 to 48 countries starting from 2026, which has doubled the number of guaranteed qualifying spots allocated to Asia from four to eight. It means even countries once considered rank outsiders, including in Southeast Asia, can envision a plausible if still very slim - road to world football’s greatest stage, provided they improve.

That has greatly incentivised shorter-term measures and sparked a proverbial “arms race” in naturalisation: Under Fifa rules, a player is eligible to play for another country if he has lived there continuously for five years, or if just one parent or grandparent is born there.