THE FA of Malaysia's much-criticised naturalisation programme has ground to a halt after Harimau Malaya's failure in the World Cup qualifiers.
The programme has drawn flak from the public after striker Guilherme de Paula (from Brazil) and midfielder Liridon Krasniqi (from Kosovo) failed to impress in the World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in June.
FAM president Datuk Hamidin Amin said they will conduct a study of the programme ahead of the next World Cup and Asia Cup cycle in 2026/2027.
He, however, said it is unfair to blame the naturalised players for the national team's overall performance.
"The players' naturalisation is something which is allowed by Fifa. We have decided to put the programme on hold as we want to study it carefully for the future.
"However, it's up to the M-League clubs if they want to naturalise their players," said Hamidin after an FAM executive meeting yesterday.
"We have only two naturalised players under the programme, (Gambia-born Mohamadou) Sumareh came through his former team Pahang's effort to naturalise.
"I don't think it's fair to blame the two naturalised players for the team's overall performance.
"We lost to higher-ranked UAE and Vietnam but we also beat Thailand who are ranked higher, to finish third in the group, and we are still in the running to qualify for the Asia Cup.
"We have to understand that the two naturalised players don't guarantee our progression in the World Cup.
"We had issues with our preparation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I'm not being defensive but we have to accept the facts.
"We, at FAM, wanted to give the best to the coach (Tan Cheng Hoe) who felt that these two naturalised players could strengthen the team.
"We will evaluate everything about naturalised players, including the need for them in the future but for now we are suspending the programme."
Hamidin added that FAM had turned down Johor Darul Ta'zim owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim's offer to manage the national team.
"I met Tunku Ismail after returning from the UAE. We understood his reaction and he understood the situation after my explanation, and will continue to be supportive of the national team," said Hamidin.