PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) have responded to a group of individuals who staged a protest in front of their office yesterday, urging all parties to channel any views or dissatisfaction through the proper avenues to ensure harmony and safeguard the image of national football.
Addressing the issues raised, MFL said in a statement: “As the organiser of the country’s professional league, MFL remain committed to ensuring that every decision is made in accordance with competition regulations while taking into account the interests of all stakeholders, including clubs, players, supporters and industry partners.
“However, the registration of players from Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) - Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel - as well as a player from Kuching City FC, Gabriel Palmero, clearly complies with Malaysia League competition regulations, as they used valid identity cards as Malaysian citizens issued by the National Registration Department.’’
The league body added that their decision was supported by AFC secretary-general Windsor Paul John, who confirmed there were no issues as the registrations adhered strictly to competition regulations.
On the national team front, Malaysia are set to hold a training camp in Thailand beginning March 27, with sessions scheduled at BG Pathum United’s training facility before travelling to Hanoi a day before their match.
The squad list is expected to be announced today after a delay due to player availability.
Sources indicated that the naturalisation documentation for JDT striker Bergson da Silva and Kuala Lumpur defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco is still in progress, leaving their availability for the March window uncertain.
Returning internationals Feroz Baharuddin and Syahmi Safari are also expected to be included in the squad.
To date, none of the national team members have issued any statement after the AFC verdict but it is learnt that coach Peter Cklamovski could address the media on Monday.
