Malaysia unexpectedly 'abandoned' two naturalized stars ahead of the decisive match against Vietnam's national team.

Malaysia announced its squad preparing for the confrontation with Vietnam's national team, where the omission of two new naturalized players drew attention from experts.

The Malaysian national team just announced a list of 28 players preparing for the rematch against Vietnam's national team at 7:00 PM on March 31 at Thiên Trường Stadium (Ninh Bình). Coach Cklamovski continues to retain the team's familiar core, while also calling up some young faces from the U23 squad, such as goalkeeper Haziq Aiman and defenders Feroz Baharudin, Syahmi Safari, aiming to develop the team for the future.

Notably, in the call-up list, the two new naturalized players Bergson da Silva and Giancarlo Gallifuoco are absent. Previously, these two players were revealed by Malaysian media to have completed naturalization procedures and met FIFA eligibility requirements. Coach Cklamovski had mentioned the possibility of calling them up to "strengthen the Malaysian national team," but the final decision changed.

The reason speculated by Southeast Asian media is mainly that after the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee ruled Malaysia to forfeit two matches in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, the team was officially eliminated from the finals, making any decisions regarding naturalized player personnel sensitive at this time, especially concerning the legal eligibility of these two players to represent the Malaysian national team. This is likely a key reason why the two naturalized players were not called up.

Alongside retaining key players like Corbin-Ong, Dion Cools, Daniel Ting, Junior Eldstal in defense, and Endrick, Ryan Lambert, Ezequiel Ageero, Stuart Wilkin in midfield, Coach Cklamovski also added familiar attacking faces such as Safawi Rasid, Paulo Josue, along with the return of forward Luqman Hakim. Among the 28 players, only three are playing abroad: Daniel Ting (Thailand), Endrick (Vietnam), and Dion Cools (Japan), while the rest are playing in Malaysia.

The decision not to call up the two naturalized players following AFC's penalty is not only tactical but also precautionary from a legal perspective. Coach Cklamovski focuses on developing young talent while maintaining stability for the main squad, preparing for the procedural match against Vietnam. The team's training camp is scheduled from March 23, but the Management has not announced details regarding the training location or travel schedule to Hanoi and Ninh Bình.

Therefore, the match on March 31 will be an opportunity for Malaysia to test young players and maintain competitive rhythm, but clearly the team is facing limitations regarding naturalized player personnel. Meanwhile, Vietnam's national team, with a stable squad and having officially secured a spot in the Asian Cup 2027 finals, will have a clear advantage, and the upcoming match is predicted to be a favorable opportunity for Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team to assert their strength and form.