My biggest regret? Supporting the naturalisation of footballers

Regrets? I’ve had a few. One of the big ones was when I declined the offer to remain as the chief executive officer of Perak FC.

I figured that it would be best that I stepped down and vacated the seat for someone new and fresh. Plus, I had been receiving death threats targeting my family.

And because my family is in Kemaman, some 12 driving hours away from Ipoh, the murderous fan would probably have to jump on a plane en route to Kuantan and parachute down to my house along with his 10kg tactical bag and a machete.

So, not to trouble anyone, I said “no thanks” and elected to watch the club perform from behind some furniture on television.

I think it was the moment when the newly announced (interim) CEO insisted on the technical director to stay at the club that I realised the enormity of my mistake. And there was so much more. The nod to bring in foreign imports for the Malaysia Cup, the lack of investment for commercial growth, and the infamous social media exchanges between the Perak fans and the CEO.

But Perak FC seems to be in able hands now. The new guy comes across as collected and level-headed, and the club looks a lot more composed.

This brings my attention to another big regret I have – supporting the naturalisation of footballers.

Here’s how I supported naturalisation, and how it should actually work. The exercise must always be regarded as a temporary fix and a mere stopgap measure to the immediate challenges of our national squad.

Selection must be mindful, and never committed excessively.

Unfortunately, naturalisation in Malaysia seems to be all impulsive and out of control. This is how we suddenly had the likes of Guilherme De Paula, and the privilege to see him only score twice for the country. Once, against Vietnam in 2021 at the FIFA World Cup qualifier, and another in 2022, where he stepped up to take the penalty in a friendly match against Brunei.

I’ve racked my brains to think of any footballer whom I would have resonated as regionally qualified, and all I’ve come up with is Dion Cools and Corbin Ong.

It was the Indonesians’ turn next, and it seems that they did a better job of naturalisation because they now have more to celebrate. They’ve just recently beaten Saudi Arabia and have now positioned themselves squarely as an astonishingly good bet to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup finals.

But I do worry about the future of their football, especially with the daunting interest and grim investment in their domestic league and homegrown players.

Many Malaysian football fans were quick to give Indonesia a standing ovation. There are now increased calls for the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to further indulge in naturalisation with a list of more than 30 heritage players going viral and circulating on social media. This includes the likes of Josh Brownhill, who is rumoured to be moving away from Burnley at the end of the season to the Italian Serie A side, Lazio.

Sivan John, a keen football observer and cofounder of the podcast The Bola Bola Show, had a different conception. He tweeted: “Why don't we follow the template set by Japan and South Korea instead of our neighbouring country?”

Well, that template was not designed for short-term gains. It requires every stakeholder to move as one, which is often the biggest headache in most developing nations. At first, there will be plenty of pain and suffering, which requires patience and persistence.

It's not wrong for me to say that in Asian football, only Japan and South Korea have those qualities. Others? Most will try but often end up deviating from the original course. Just my two cents' worth.

Many now will accuse me of opposing Tunku Ismail Ibrahim and the policies he is introducing back in Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) – which is, of course, perfectly fine. JDT is primarily a business enterprise, and very much like any other commercial venture there is a constant need to remain competitive in the market and to ensure the highest standards of football performance as this would directly impinge on their revenue.

Having said that, JDT has a remarkable record of investing in the development of homegrown footballers. The club has practically won all the grassroots championships in the country and has recently beaten three-time SuperMokh champions, Buriram United of Thailand.

Harimau Malaya, however, has the luxury of time and failure. As a national heritage that is qualified and betting state funds and state infrastructures, there must be more to Harimau Malaya than simply collecting trophies or chasing ranks.

But then again, if we all decide that Harimau Malaya should go on a mad naturalisation rampage, national interest and pride should then be cast aside, and the squad promptly privatised. Which is fine, but what’s going to happen to the recently announced RM15 million allocation by the government to Harimau Malaya? Now, that’s going to be baffling.

The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer’s and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13.