According to Malaysian media, Bergson Da Silva (Brazilian origin) and player Giancarlo Gallifuoco (Australian origin) could not participate due to paperwork issues.
This information was revealed by Malaysian national team head coach Peter Cklamovski at a press conference at a hotel in Bukit Jalil on the afternoon of March 23.
I was informed that the registration would not be completed in time for Bergson and Gallifuoco to participate in the Malaysian national team. For me, it is very simple, they are not qualified to be selected for the squad," Cklamovski said.
According to Malaysian media, in February 2026, Mr. Cklamovski said that striker Bergson of Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and defender Gallifuoco of KL City are about to have Malaysian passports and FIFA permits to wear the Malaysian national team jersey (nickname Harimau Malaya). He believes that they will make their first debut in the national team jersey against Vietnam on March 31.
However, recently, both Bergson and Gallifuoco were absent from the list of 28 players summoned by Mr. Cklamovski for the final qualifying match of the 2027 Asian Cup in Group F against Vietnam.
Cklamovski said he had spoken with Bergson and Gallifuoco, both of whom really wanted to represent the Malaysian team.
They are very eager to play for the Malaysian national team, to do something special for the country that has brought them so much good. The positive thing is that they will be present in the next training session," he said.
Cklamovski added that Bergson and Gallifuoco are expected to be eligible to wear the Malaysian national team jersey to participate in the Southeast Asian Championship - ASEAN Cup campaign (taking place from July 24 to August 26), as well as the first edition of FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 later this year.
The Australian coach also said that Nacho Mendez, a Spanish-born player playing as a midfielder for JDT, has also decided not to participate in the national training camp due to injury.
The absence of some naturalized players will cause difficulties for Malaysia in the rematch against Vietnam. In the first leg, Malaysia defeated Mr. Kim Sang-sik's team 4-0 at home.
However, due to violating the rules when registering players against regulations, the Malaysian team was defeated 0-3 by the Disciplinary Committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the matches against Nepal (March 25, 2025) and Vietnam (June 10, 2025).
Therefore, from being at the top of Group F, they have dropped to 2nd place. And the Vietnamese team rose to the top and won a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup.
