PETALING JAYA: Former national footballer Safee Sali has urged Malaysia’s homegrown players to seize the moment and step up, following the suspension of seven mixed-heritage players that has plunged Harimau Malaya into crisis.
The ex-striker and former president of the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) said the latest setback should not derail the national team’s progress under Australian coach Peter Cklamovski, but instead ignite a response from the rest of the squad.
“Now is the time for other players to step up and take the chance to continue the momentum of the national team,” said Safee.
His call came in the wake of FIFA’s bombshell decision on Friday, which saw the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven national players hit with severe sanctions for breaching Article 22 of the FIFA disciplinary code concerning forgery and falsification.
FIFA found FAM guilty of submitting doctored documents in player eligibility inquiries to field Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel in Malaysia’s Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10, 2025.
As a result, FAM were fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.85mil), while each of the players received a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities and a 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,570) fine.
Safee believes the national football body must now focus on due process rather than finger-pointing.
“I think FAM need to submit an appeal and go through the necessary steps to justify and clarify everything,” he said.
“Looking ahead, the other players should see this as an opportunity to perform better and maintain our momentum.
“If we keep trying to pinpoint blame on everyone, that won’t solve the problem.
“We need to be aware that we’ve reached a level where other teams are actually afraid of us.
“That’s why you see all these appeals and actions being taken against us.”
Safee, who was part of Malaysia’s historic 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup-winning squad, said the controversy, while damaging, was also proof of Malaysia’s rising stature in regional football.
“To me, that’s actually a good sign. People are starting to notice us.
“In all my years playing, I’ve never seen our national team ranked around 120th in the world. That alone shows we’ve made an impact, especially across the Asean region.”
The 41-year-old added that the team must not let the setback derail their growth.
“I do not want to feel down about this matter. If we are down, then we will plummet,” he said.
“Instead, we learn from this episode and make sure we never repeat the same mistake.”
