PUTRAJAYA: Tengku Muda Pahang, Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah, said the seven heritage players sanctioned by FIFA were among those he recommended to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
He said his recommendation was part of efforts to strengthen the national squad, Harimau Malaya.
Tengku Abdul Rahman said he was contacted by several agents last year proposing players for assessment.
"I forwarded the suggestions to FAM for a more detailed evaluation to determine if the players met the requirements as heritage players who could be considered for the national squad," he said in a statement yesterday.Tengku Abdul Rahman said all seven players were legitimate Malaysian citizens after being granted citizenship by the government in accordance with the law.
He added that all the recommendations were made with the good intention of helping to strengthen the national squad and providing players of Malaysian heritage the chance to contribute to the country.
Tengku Abdul Rahman also paid tribute to the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, for his efforts in raising the standard of football in the country and setting the bar for professionalism and management of clubs via Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT).
He said Pahang has also played a role in the naturalisation of other players, including Mohamadou Sumareh, Sergio Aguero, and Lee Tuck, to strengthen the Harimau Malaya squad.
Tengku Abdul Rahman said naturalised and heritage players can improve the quality of the game and the competitiveness of the national squad.
"I will always support every effort that can help raise the standard of Malaysian football," he said.
Recently, FIFA released the full reasoning behind the disciplinary action taken against the FAM and seven Harimau Malaya heritage players, namely Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
It revealed that several supporting documents submitted by FAM, including birth certificates of the players' grandparents, contained details that did not match the original records in the players' actual countries of birth.
FAM, which is appealing FIFA's decision, has denied any wrongdoing in the eligibility process of seven national players, stressing that all documents were obtained and submitted according to official procedures.
https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2025...fam-says-tengku
Oct 22 2025, 11:42 PM
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