Malaysia to add more naturalized players ahead of Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam

The four players are Brazilian striker Bergson da Silva, Argentine midfielder Manuel Hidalgo, and Spanish midfielder Nacho Mendez, all currently under Malaysia’s biggest club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), alongside Australian defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco of Kuala Lumpur City.

While they are not of Malaysian descent, they qualify to represent the national team under FIFA’s five-year residency rule.

Coach Peter Cklamovski confirmed that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is finalizing the paperwork for Bergson and Gallifuoco, so they can play the decisive last game of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in Vietnam.

Hidalgo will have to wait until April, and Mendez is expected to make his debut later in 2026.

Bergson, 35, is widely regarded as the best foreign striker in Malaysia Super League (MSL) history. A product of Brazilian academies Internacional and Gremio, he joined JDT in 2021. Since then, he has amassed 176 goals and 32 assists in 174 matches across all competitions. This season, Bergson has scored 16 goals in 15 league matches and 26 goals in 33 matches overall.

Despite potential concerns about Bergson’s age, Cklamovski is not worried.

“He’s a dangerous weapon,” Cklamovski told New Straits Times. “I’ve spoken to him. He’s hungry. He wants to come into the national team and do something special. He has shown over the past five years how strong he is in this part of the world.”

Gallifuoco, 31, brings experience from the youth systems of Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City. After returning to play in Australia and representing the U23 team, he joined Kuala Lumpur City in 2021. The center-back has scored three goals in 131 appearances for the Malaysian club.

Australian center-back Giancarlo Gallifuoco during a game for Kuala Lumpur City. Photo by Kuala Lumpur City FC

If Bergson and Gallifuoco can be added in time, Cklamovski will be less worried about personnel.

Star player Arif Aiman will not recover in time to play against Vietnam following a hamstring surgery.

The seven naturalized players embroiled in a document fraud scandal are almost certain not to be called up.

Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel were handed 12-month bans by FIFA, effective Sept. 26, 2025. They successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in January 2026 to temporarily return to club competition. The formal hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26, before CAS issues its final ruling.

Malaysia’s goal is to avoid severe penalties, such as a ban from international competitions, though they are unlikely to avoid forfeiting matches involving the ineligible players. FIFA has already handed Malaysia 0-3 defeats in three friendly matches, while the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) awaits the final decision from CAS and may take similar actions regarding Malaysia’s matches at the Asian Cup qualifiers.

In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Malaysia are leading Group F with 15 points, three ahead of Vietnam. However, if they are handed 0-3 forfeits against Nepal and Vietnam for matches involving the sanctioned players, the top spot and automatic qualification will go to Vietnam.

Cklamovski is not concerned about the penalties, focusing instead on the final match against Vietnam at Thien Truong Stadium on March 31.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing Vietnam away from home,” he said. “We’ll look to take the game to Vietnam and have the mentality to go there and beat them.”