KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya fans have been told to be fair when judging the performances of newly-naturalised players Guilherme de Paula and Liridon Krasniqi in the recently-concluded Group G second-round 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Naturalisation Committee chairman Datuk Yusoff Mahadi attributed their dismal performance to not having had enough time to forge an understanding with the other players.

"I hope they will use the experience gained to better understand the team's playing style if they are called up again," he told a virtual media conference today.

He said this when asked to comment on whether or not the naturalisation programme had borne fruit after Liridion, De Paula and Mohamadou Sumareh were lambasted for not having any impact on the Harimau Malaya's performance in Dubai.

Yusoff, who is also the national team manager, said that he had no power when it came to naming the naturalised players called up for national training camp, adding that his job only involved handling players' administrative matters, such as issues with the Immigration Department.

Player selection and evaluation, he said, was done by the technical committee which, among others, comprised head coach Tan Cheng Hoe and FAM technical director Datuk Ong Kim Swee.

Yusoff, however, defended the naturalisation programme, saying that it was FAM's aim to take steps to strengthen the national team.

"In terms of FIFA's rules, it's not wrong to pick naturalised players...," he said.

Malaysia, who beat Thailand 1-0 in their final Group G match at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai earlier today, ended the qualifying campaign in third spot with 12 points. The UAE finished on top with 18 points, followed by Vietnam (17 points). Thailand finished fourth with nine points while Indonesia were rooted to the bottom with just one point.

The win over Thailand allowed Malaysia to automatically advance to the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers and keep the national team's hopes of competing in the Finals alive.

-- BERNAMA