PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco (pic) and Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) striker Bergson da Silva will just have to wait a little bit longer to represent Harimau Malaya.
The two players were not included in the 28-man squad called up by national team head coach Peter Cklamovski for their 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers clash against Vietnam on March 31, despite being previously hinted to have been close to obtaining their citizenship.
Instead, Cklamovski has brought in several new faces and returning players to the squad.
Defenders Feroz Baharudin and Syahmi Safari are back with the national team after being away for some time, while Under-23 development goalkeeper Haziq Aiman has also received the call-up.
On the attacking end, Cklamovski has entrusted Faisal Halim, alongside Luqman Hakim, Paulo Josue, Ramadhan Saifullah, and Safawi Rasid.
However, the gaffer will have to do without the services of seven players - Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel - who are banned for 12 months from being fielded after FIFA sanctioned them for falsifying eligibility documents.
Malaysia’s match against Vietnam will be a matter of pride as their hopes of making the 2027 Asian Cup are virtually over after a points deduction by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently.
Malaysia were found to have fielded ineligible players in two matches, their 2-0 win over Nepal on March 25 and their 4-0 victory against Vietnam on June 10 last year, and AFC have since recorded them as 0-3 defeats for Malaysia.
THE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Azri Ghani, Haziq Nadzli, Syihan Hazmi, Haziq Aiman. Defenders: La’vere Corbin-Ong, Daniel Ting, Declan Lambert, Dion Cools, Dominic Tan, Feroz Baharudin, Harith Haiqal, Junior Eldstal, Matthew Davies, Syahmi Safari, Quentin Cheng, Ubaidullah Shamsul, Zikri Khalili. Midfielders: Endrick Dos Santos, Nazmi Faiz, Nooa Laine, Ryan Lambert, Sergio Aguero, Stuart Wilkin. Forwards: Faisal Halim, Luqman Hakim, Paulo Josue, Ramadhan Saifullah, Safawi Rasid.
