PETALING JAYA: Bergson da Silva is patiently waiting for his chance to don Malaysian colours while the future of seven mixed-heritage Harimau Malaya players with the national team remains uncertain despite receiving express approval last year.
The 35-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) striker has expressed his interest in playing for the national team but has yet to receive any update on his naturalisation process despite waiting for some time.
“It is my desire to play, but no one has said anything to me about it yet, so I’m a little doubtful,” said Bergson, who joined the Southern Tigers in 2021.
“But I’m ready. I’ve come to love this country and feel at home here, and it would be a great pleasure for me to get the chance to help the team.
“Terima kasih (thank you) for all the support that I have received. I’m excited but just have to wait and see.”
Bergson etched his name into Malaysian football history last year when he became the Super League’s all-time top goalscorer, and currently has 123 goals in the league to his name.
Besides Bergson, teammate Manuel Hidalgo and Kuala Lumpur’s Giancarlo Gallifuoco are also in line to obtain naturalised citizenship.
If things work out, the players could feature for Malaysia during the Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifiers against Vietnam on March 31.
However, naturalised players Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel, Joao Figueiredo, Emanol Machuca and Rodrigo Holgado will not get to play for the national team following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday.
CAS partially upheld an appeal by the seven players sanctioned for falsifying paperwork in an eligibility case which involved the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and have ruled them out of official matches.
They would serve their 12-month ban, but CAS had allowed them to resume training and participate in other football-related activities with their respective clubs.
