PETALING JAYA: Malaysia football coach Peter Cklamovski has named a 29-man squad for the upcoming Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifiers against Laos, notably leaving out the seven players suspended by FIFA and handing a call-up to Ghanaian-born striker Jordan Mintah.
Cklamovski has opted for continuity by retaining 22 players from the squad that featured in the international friendlies against Singapore and Palestine on Sept 4 and 8, respectively.
The 30-year-old Mintah, who got his Malaysian citizenship in August after playing in the country for more than five years, will make his debut.
The Kuching City striker’s selection adds valuable depth to the Harimau Malaya attack, which has been short of options following the FIFA suspensions.
Fullback Declan Lambert and winger Ramadhan Saifullah are returning to the national fold after a while.
The 27-year-old Declan has won five caps, with the last one earned in the 2024 AFF Mitsubishi Cup, while Ramadhan, 24, who has yet to earn a cap, returns to camp after three years.
Declan, who plays for Kuala Lumpur, has been one of the standout left fullbacks in the domestic scene this season, while Ramadhan has been a potent attacking threat for Kuching City, scoring four goals and making four assists in all competitions - Super League and FA Cup
The coach has also looked to youth, drafting in Under-23 duo - winger Aliff Izwan Yuslan and centreback Ubaidullah Samsul Fazili.
The national team will travel directly to Vientiane, Laos, for centralised training from October 6–8, ahead of their Group F clash against Laos at the New Laos National Stadium on Oct 9.
The second-leg encounter will take place at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14.
THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ahmad Syihan Hazmi (JDT), Azri Ghani (Negri Sembilan) and Haziq Nadzli (Kuching City).
Defenders: La’vere Corbin-Ong, Shahrul Saad, Junior Eldstal (JDT), Quentin Cheng, Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar (Selangor), Daniel Ting, Dominic Tan (Sabah), Azam Azmi Murad, Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili (Terengganu), Declan Lambert (Kuala Lumpur), Dion Cools (Cerezo Osaka, Japan) and Richard Chin (Raith Rovers, Scotland).
Midfielders: Afiq Fazail, Nazmi Faiz Mansor, Arif Aiman Hanapi (JDT), Aliff Izwan Yuslan, Faisal Halim, Nooa Laine (Selangor), Ramadhan Saifullah (Kuching City), Stuart Wilkin (Sabah), Safawi Rasid (Kuala Lumpur), Sergio Aguero (Kanchanaburi Power, Thailand) and Endrick dos Santos (Cong An Ho Chin Minh, Vietnam).
Strikers: Paulo Josue (Kuala Lumpur), Jordan Mintah (Kuching City) and Romel Morales (JDT).
