Kuala lumpur: The Harimau Malaya squad remains a formidable force, even in the absence of seven suspended heritage players, the team recently triumphed over Laos in the ongoing 2026 Asian Cup Qualifiers, a feat that has elevated Malaysia’s world ranking to 118.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Nizaruddin emphasized that these victories demonstrate the quality and potential of the current squad under coach Peter Cklamovski. “From how the national squad performed against Laos, I could see that we can rely on the players that we have at the moment,” he stated during the Football Clinic: This is Our Field event.

Although acknowledging that Laos may not be on par with Harimau Malaya, Nizaruddin expressed confidence in the team’s ability to perform on the international stage. He noted that the matches against Laos were some of the best played since the suspension of the heritage players. Looking ahead, he hopes the team will maintain their winning momentum as they prepare to face Nepal in November and improve their performance against stronger teams.

The suspension of the seven players, including Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, and Rodrigo Holgado, followed a ruling by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee. The players, along with FAM, were penalized for violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code related to document falsification. As a result, FAM was fined CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million), and each player received a fine of CHF2,000 (about RM10,560), alongside a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities effective from October 6.