The Malaysian team will face the Vietnamese team in the second match of Group F, the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup on June 10 at Bukit Jalil Stadium (Malaysia). To prepare for this important match, the Malaysian team has had additional notable naturalized names.
facundo Garces is the name that attracts the most attention. He is playing for Deportivo Alaves ( Spain), valued at 1.4 million USD. A series of other naturalized players are mentioned such as Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palermo and Rodrigo Hogaldo.
It is known that yesterday (6. 3), center back facundo Garces was in Kuala Lumpur to join the Malaysian team.
In response to a series of information about naturalizing players of the Malaysian team, Southeast Asian media has had its own opinions. Indonesian media is well aware of the regulations on naturalizing players when the team from the archipelago has achieved many successes in this regard.
Indonesian media has analyzed the case of facundo Garces. Accordingly, the naturalization process of this player has caused many questions. According to the World Football Federation (FIFA), allowing a naturalized player to play for the national team of another federation is his/her legal status or residence period.
With a period of residence, players must live in the place they want to become naturalized for at least 5 consecutive years after reaching the age of 18. Garces has never played professional football or lived in Malaysia for the required time, so his profile must definitely be considered according to his background.
The Malaysian media also confirmed that there is no information related to the new naturalized players. For Garces, his blood relationship with Malaysia is still unclear.
Only veteran Malaysian journalist T. Avinehwaran confirmed that Garces is believed to have originated in Malaysia from his grandmother. Although documents on this issue have not been published, this statement is considered in line with the naturalization process carried out by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
"Garces' case is reminiscent of the naturalization scandal of the Timor Leste team in 2017. At the time, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declared the 9 naturalized Timor Leste players invalid because they did not meet the requirements.
As a result, the Timor Leste Football Federation was heavily punished. They were banned from participating in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers and required to reform the search system as well as naturalize players.
Similar concerns are now emerging in Malaysia. If Garces' naturalization process is not carried out transparently and complies with regulations, Malaysia is at risk of facing similar consequences. The reputation of this national football could also be affected if it is later proven to be invalid naturalization," Bola stated.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's New Straits Times also affirmed that despite many naturalized players, the home team still faces many difficulties, especially when the Vietnamese team is led by coach Kim Sang-sik.
Malaysian media emphasized that coach Kim Sang-sik is very smart in applying strategies and tactics in the competition. This was shown by his direction of the ASEAN All Stars team to win against Man United (28.5).
Although the ASEAN All Stars team only gathered 2 days before the match against Man United, and at the same time, coach Kim Sang-sik's team was missing many key players because they were busy participating in the World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup qualifiers, the ASEAN All Stars team was still very well organized by the Korean coach.
This victory makes many people imagine that the Vietnam team will be tightly organized in the coming days, competing cohesively in their away match in Malaysia in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
