Kuala lumpur: The Acting President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi, has dismissed news regarding Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski’s future as mere speculation, which he attributes to external parties.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Yusoff refrained from elaborating on the social media rumors suggesting that the upcoming fifth Group F match against Nepal for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium could be Cklamovski’s last game with the national squad. “No comment. Mere speculation? I consider it wild too,” he stated after attending the 2025 Sultans’ Gold Cup final between Kuala Lumpur and Malaysian Armed Forces at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Stadium.
In other developments, Mohd Yusoff confirmed FAM’s request for written grounds from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) following the rejection of their appeal concerning the documentation issue of naturalised players. He noted the uncertainty regarding when FIFA would provide a response but mentioned that FAM would have 21 days to escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upon receipt of the written grounds.
On November 3, FIFA rejected appeals by FAM and seven naturalised players, including Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. The FIFA Appeal Committee upheld the penalties imposed by the Disciplinary Committee for document falsification offenses under Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. Consequently, FAM was fined CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM11,000) and suspended for 12 months from football-related activities.
Additionally, Mohd Yusoff remarked on the 2025 Sultans’ Gold Cup final, commending the organization of the event. Despite the wet weather, the 103rd edition of the competition was deemed a success, with Kuala Lumpur emerging as champions following a narrow 1-0 victory over the Malaysian Armed Forces.