'Don't grant citizenship lightly to naturalised players' - FAM presidential candidate
Critics pointed to the early 2010s, when Harimau Malaya, under former manager Datuk K. Rajagopal, consistently performed at a high level, even winning the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, without relying on naturalised players.
SHAH ALAM - Malaysian citizenship is a privilege of immense value and its granting should be approached with care, especially when considering naturalised football players for the national team.
In recent years, the inclusion of naturalised players in the national football team has sparked debate, with some viewing it as a positive move and others as a potential issue.
Critics pointed to the early 2010s, when Harimau Malaya, under former manager Datuk K. Rajagopal, consistently performed at a high level, even winning the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, without relying on naturalised players.
With the team’s recent poor and inconsistent results, this ongoing discussion remained at the forefront of Malaysian football.
Former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) head of marketing Sayf Ismail said the solution lies in a balanced approach.
He pointed out that even major footballing nations naturalise foreign players, but the underlying issue, particularly the claim that Harimau Malaya's underperformance was due to an excess of foreign or naturalised players, was actually the insufficient development of a strong local talent pool.
"If Malaysia had enough homegrown talent coming through the system, we would not be in a position where we are scouring for players with Malaysian heritage or asking those who have been playing here for five years to become naturalised players for our national team.
"The current reliance on naturalisation is a short-term solution, but for the long term, FAM must focus on developing local talent to eliminate the need for this policy or to ensure that naturalised players are exceptional talents who make a significant impact.
"Our Malaysian citizenship is invaluable and should not be handed out lightly. It is somewhat unfair to Malaysians and long-term residents who have contributed to the country for decades but struggle to obtain permanent residency or citizenship," Sayf told Sinar Daily in an interview.
Sayf highlighted that granting citizenship to foreign footballers who, in his honest opinion, were often not world-class and came to play here knowing the country's standards, diminished the value of such a privilege.
He added that the responsibility lies with FAM and its affiliates to address this talent gap by creating a system that nurtures young players and develops a larger pool of high-quality athletes.
This, he said was a long-term process, potentially requiring a five-year cycle to build the next generation of local talents capable of strengthening the national team and reducing the dependency on naturalised players.
Sayf, an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Malaya and the founder of Amrace Academy, a consultancy specialising in sustainability and environmental, social and governance practices, recently declared his intention to run for the FAM presidency.
He emphasised that the FAM president should be bilingual and possess strong proficiency in the English language.
"Because, one of the things I realised in my time at FAM, as a national association, you interact at the AFC level, at the FIFA level. I think you need a bit of stature in terms of your communication and your ability to converse.
"It is another dimension of candidacy, I am not saying it is super important, but it gives a better image to the world and certainly would be beneficial," he said.
FAM will elect a new president for the 2025-2029 term during the 61st FAM Congress on Feb 15, as current president Tan Sri Hamidin Amin, prepares to step down.