Malaysian Expert: 'Need More Naturalization to Beat Vietnam's National Team'

A Malaysian football expert states that if they wish to match Vietnam's national team, Malaysia's squad must continue to focus on naturalizing players.

The Malaysian national football team's defeat against Vietnam in the final match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers forced Malaysia to confront an unpleasant reality, not only regarding the gap with regional rivals but also about the necessary steps following the document forgery scandal and failing to secure a tournament berth.

According to football critic Associate Professor Dr. Zulakbal Abd Karim, this moment demands both honesty and urgency, as the former deputy president of the Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (FCAM) noted, the recent performance against Vietnam accurately reflects Malaysia's true level when lacking ineligible players.

"I observed in the match against Vietnam's national team, we utilized three groups of players—local players, mixed heritage players, and naturalized players—yet still could not defeat Vietnam's team," Zulakbal said. "Technically, we are at a lower level than Vietnam's team. Tactically, it's the same."

Zulakbal added that the previous 4-0 victory needs to be considered within a specific context. "Looking at the record, we once defeated Vietnam because seven players were involved in the document scandal," Zulakbal stated. "Therefore, indeed, we truly need naturalized players with competitive experience if we want to beat Vietnam's national team again."

Zulakbal believes such moves should not be viewed as desperate actions but rather as immediate measures in Malaysia's rebuilding process.

"This is merely a temporary measure to achieve short-term results," Zulakbal said. "But we must still nurture domestic talent. The issue is that producing high-quality local players takes a long time."

"Learn from the mistakes. We must clearly understand FIFA's regulations to avoid repeating similar errors." He further noted that development and recruitment must proceed together. "Thus, I think local player development and naturalization need to occur simultaneously, to create both immediate and long-term impact."

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