PETALING JAYA: Former national striker Safee Sali believes Malaysian football must first acknowledge the mistakes that led to the recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and treat the episode as an important lesson for the future.
He urged the local football fraternity to view the situation as an opportunity to improve systems and strengthen the foundations of Malaysian football.
Safee said the first step was to respect the decision delivered by the sport’s highest arbitration body.
“This is the highest arbitration body in sports and we must accept their ruling,” he said.
“We should take this as a lesson and ensure we do not find ourselves in this position again.
“We cannot stop the inclusion of naturalised and heritage players.
“That process can continue, but our main focus must remain on our local products,” he said.
CAS partially upheld an appeal by seven footballers sanctioned for falsifying documents in an eligibility case involving the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), ruling that their suspension will apply only to official matches.
Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, however, are allowed to continue training and participating in other football-related activities with their respective clubs.
Safee also played down concerns about the broader impact of the ruling on the local football ecosystem.
“It is unfortunate that we cannot participate in the Asian Cup and also the seven players are suspended, but the industry can still grow and improve,” he said.
“Our league is not suspended. For now, the restriction only affects the Asian Cup and those seven players. So we should not let our spirits waver.”
