Harimau Malaya Just As Deadly Without Heritage Players - Nizaruddin

HULU LANGAT, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- The Harimau Malaya squad are capable of taking their game to a higher level even without the presence of the seven heritage players who are currently suspended, said former national player Mohd Nizaruddin Yusof.

The two recent victories over Laos in the ongoing 2026 Asian Cup Qualifiers, which led to the team's world ranking rising to number 118, are proof that coach Peter Cklamovski's squad are still the real deal.

Mohd Nizaruddin said the wins also proved that the national team still possessed quality players.

"From how the national squad performed against Laos, I could see that we can rely on the players that we have at the moment.

"As we know, the Harimau Malaya squad can still go far on the international stage. I dare say that the matches against Laos were the best we have played in since the suspension of the seven heritage players,” he said during the Football Clinic: This is Our Field here today.

However, he was quick to admit that Laos are not at the same level as the Harimau Malaya.

He also hopes that the national players will continue to keep the winning momentum going when they take on Nepal in November.

"We also hope that our current batch of players will raise their game when they face stronger teams,” he said.

Last month, FAM and seven heritage players - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel - were penalised by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee after being found guilty of violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) related to document falsification.

As a result, FAM were fined CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM10,560) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities, effective from Oct 6, which is the date of notification of the decision.

-- BERNAMA