Cklamovski vows to keep Malaysia’s World Cup dream alive

2026-03-23 - 11:41

Harimau Malaya coach Peter Cklamovski insisted he remains committed to the national squad. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski says his ambition to lead Malaysia to the World Cup remains unchanged despite failing to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. The Australian coach’s future was cast into doubt following a Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) scandal that saw seven naturalised players suspended by Fifa for 12 months. However, Cklamovski stressed that he remains committed to the national squad and is focussed on preparing the team for upcoming matches, reported Berita Harian. “Since arriving here, I have truly fallen in love with this country. Working with the players and coaching staff has been a great experience,” he told reporters today. “We had short-term plans to qualify for the Asian Cup and long-term plans to see Malaysia compete in the World Cup. “Nothing has changed despite the off-field issues we’ve faced,” he said, referring to the document falsification controversy. Malaysia is set to face Vietnam in its final 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match at the Thien Truong Stadium, Ninh Binh, on March 31. Vietnam has already secured a place in the Asian Cup while Malaysia missed out after the Asian Football Confederation deducted six points for fielding ineligible players in qualifiers against Nepal and Vietnam. FAM and seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa after the world football body said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam. In addition to slapping FAM with a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million), Fifa fined each player 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM10,560). Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Fifa’s findings that the documents were falsified but said the players had not acted negligently or with intent. The seven players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel. The controversy led to the resignation of the entire FAM executive committee in an attempt to avert a Fifa suspension, while a police investigation into forgery is ongoing. In December, Fifa overturned Malaysia’s win in three international friendlies to 3-0 defeats.