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Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia's withdrawal from Cafa Nations Cup disrupts tournament plans
FAM said Harimau Malaya were pulling out of the Cafa Nations Cup 2025 following recent changes to the tournament schedule now falling slightly outside the official Fifa international window. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Central Asian Football Association said the Football Association of Malaysia's decision to pull out of next month's Cafa Nations Cup 2025 has disrupted the tournament, particularly given the advanced stage of planning and preparations. Cafa said Malaysia's participation at the Aug 29-Sept 8 tournament in Tajikistan was confirmed well in advance, with FAM also fully aware of the tournament dates and schedule. 'Those dates have never been changed from the beginning,' it said in a statement. It said that while FAM was concerned about the restricted release of players from club duties as the competition does not fully fall within the Fifa international match calendar, the final registration of players, selected from a preliminary list of 35, can be submitted on a match-by-match basis. 'This allows for maximum flexibility, including the possibility of key players joining the team for subsequent matches,' it said. Earlier today, FAM said Harimau Malaya were pulling out of the Cafa Nations Cup following recent changes to the tournament schedule now falling slightly outside the official Fifa international window. It said this had brought about 'significant challenges' that affect player availability, logistics, and overall performance readiness. 'The latest tournament dates, which were updated after the official draw, now fall outside the official Fifa calendar. This means clubs are not obligated to release players. 'For Malaysia, with key players based in countries like Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Japan, this presents a major obstacle to assembling a full-strength squad,' FAM said. Malaysia were to open their Group B campaign against Tajikistan on Aug 29, followed by Iran on Sept 1, and Afghanistan on Sept 4, with all three matches taking place in Dushanbe. Group A will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, featuring four other teams – hosts Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Oman. In a separate statement, Harimau Malaya coach Peter Cklamovski said getting the squad's foreign-based players to Tajikistan in time to perform at the level required was not realistic under the current window. 'Then there's the impact on logistics, recovery, and budget. I would never want to compromise our players' wellbeing or go into a tournament not at full-strength,' he said. 'Beyond player release challenges, the long-haul travel, compressed match schedule, and increased operational cost, especially under Fifa's 72-hour mandatory recovery rule, added further strain to our ability to compete with quality and consistency.' He said the national team will instead regroup for a full training camp in Kuala Lumpur in September which will serve as a key step in their preparation for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Malaysia will continue their remaining 2027 Asian Cup Group F qualifiers against Laos in Vientiane on Oct 9 and Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14, before meeting Nepal in Kathmandu on Nov 18 and Vietnam away in March next year. Malaysia currently top the four-team Group F with three wins from as many matches.
New Straits Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Akmal Rizal comments on Malaysia's heritage footballers
KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia bask in their highest world football ranking in 19 years, which is No. 125, the inevitable question is how much of this success is due to the foreign-born players in the national team. Former international Akmal Rizal Rakhli attributed Malaysia's rise to both development programmne and the inclusion of heritage players. "This is the outcome of a long-term project that started under Tan Cheng Hoe (former national coach) and continues with Peter Cklamovski," he said. "The addition of heritage players has also helped us get results against stronger teams." Akmal believes that Harimau Malayia are well-positioned to continue their ascent. Malaysia will debut in the Cafa Nations Cup (Aug 29-Sept 8) and also play three Asia Cup qualifiers in October and November. Akmal said if Malaysia meet Iran in the Nations Cup and achieve a good result, this could significantly boost their world ranking. "We could even reach world No. 120 by the end of the year if we build on what we showed against Vietnam (Malaysia won 4-0 in an Asian Cup qualifier last month). "Strong performances in these competitive matches will give us more ranking points and better international standing," said Akmal, who scored 17 goals in 47 appearances for Malaysia, On fans' concerns over the rising number of foreign-born players in the national team, Akmal said the naturalisation route is necessary. "If we're being honest, this is something we needed to do. The heritage players are quality footballers who were developed in strong systems abroad. "It opens our eyes to what's required to compete in Asia. But yes, it does reduce chances for local boys. Our local players can't be comfortable anymore. "The message is clear, no spot is guaranteed. Some players who were regulars before are now out of the squad. It's a wake-up call," he said.
Free Malaysia Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Harimau Malaya drawn with Iran in Cafa Nations Cup
Harimau Malaya are currently ranked 131st in the Fifa world rankings. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia have been drawn in Group B alongside world No 18 Iran for next month's Central Asian Football Association (Cafa) Nations Cup 2025. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said that Harimau Malaya, ranked 131st in the world, will also face hosts Tajikistan (ranked 104th in the world) and Afghanistan (160th). Malaysia will open their campaign against Tajikistan on Aug 29, followed by Iran on Sept 1 and Afghanistan on Sept 4, with all three matches taking place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Group A will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, featuring four other teams — hosts Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Oman. Only the winner of each group will qualify for the final in Tashkent on Sept 8, while the runners-up will play for third place in Dushanbe on the same date. After the tournament, Malaysia will continue their remaining 2027 Asian Cup Group F qualifiers against Laos in Vientiane on Oct 9 and Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14, before meeting Nepal in Kathmandu on Nov 18 and Vietnam away in March next year.
New Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
'Harimau should pounce on rare Nations Cup opportunity'
KUALA LUMPUR: The Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup offers a rare opportunity for Harimau Malaya to play world class teams outside Southeast Asia, said Datuk Jamal Nasir. Former international Jamal said this means Malaysia will not have to play the same old faces again in the region. And the national side get to prove themselves against more physical and tactically advanced nations. "Going to the Cafa Nations Cup is good exposure for our team because there are higher-ranked teams there. These are Arab nations, and we've had little exposure to them and we always lose. So now we have a chance to prove that we are better," he said. Jamal pointed out that playing against the World Cup-qualified sides will give Malaysia a better sense of where they stand and what needs to be improved. "It will help a lot because we are playing against World Cup teams and we get to see whether our standard is coming up. We can head in that direction if we perform well during this tournament," he said. Jamal credited Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Fifa council member Tan Sri Hamidin Amin for using their networks to get Malaysia into the Nations Cup. He also supports the national team's move to "play less against Asean teams" and focus more on matches outside the region. "It's not that we belittle Asean teams, but we must move forward. Playing Arab nations is the best decision, and I credit those responsible. "If we perform well in these Arab tournaments, I'm confident Malaysia will improve even further and can take on bigger teams after this. I believe we can qualify for the final round of the Asian Cup," he said. Meanwhile, it is learnt that there will be a joint restructuring of the country's youth football development programme in July by the Youth and Sports Ministry, FAM, the Education and Higher Education Ministries. Jamal welcomed the move, saying it aligns with national ambitions and his hope to see Malaysia reach the highest level in global football.
