HLV Malaysia press conference, determined to defeat the Vietnamese team

Despite being entangled in many controversies regarding improperly regulated player naturalization, the Malaysian team still pledges to compete with full determination to secure all 3 points against the Vietnamese team.

According to head coach Peter Cklamovski, he and the coaching staff maintain high morale to help Malaysia qualify for major tournaments in the future, including the World Cup.

He stated that although hopes for participating in the Asian Cup 2027 were shattered after the document forgery scandal involving seven naturalized players, he has plans to help the Malaysian team become stronger again.

"Since arriving here, I have fallen in love with this country. Working with the players and coaching staff has given me a very positive experience.

We had a short-term plan to qualify for the Asian Cup and a long-term plan to get the team to participate in the World Cup.

I think nothing has changed even though we are disappointed with off-field issues (the document forgery scandal).

However, at this moment, the important thing is not my future but the team's preparation for the upcoming crucial matches," he said at the press conference in Bukit Jalil today.

It is known that Coach Cklamovski's team will play the final Asian Cup 2027 qualifying match against the Vietnamese team on March 31.

Currently, Malaysia is ranked second in Group F, but the opportunity to qualify for Saudi Arabia has closed after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) determined that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) violated Article 56 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code by using ineligible players in two Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches.

The situation became more serious when AFC, after reviewing the full ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), issued a penalty: annulling the results of the two qualifying matches, awarding Malaysia a loss, and granting a 3-0 victory to Nepal and Vietnam.

This decision means that the Vietnamese team has officially secured a spot in the Asian Cup next year, regardless of the unfavorable outcome of the final match.

At the press conference this afternoon, Coach Peter Cklamovski confirmed that Brazilian-born player Bergson Da Silva and Australian-born player Giancarlo Gallifuoco were not called up to the Malaysian team for the match against Vietnam in the Asian Cup qualifiers on March 31 due to document issues.

"I was informed that the registration would not be completed in time for them to play. That is very clear to me. They are not eligible to be selected," Cklamovski said.

Previously in February, Timesport reported that Cklamovski said forward Bergson (Johor Darul Ta'zim Club) and defender Gallifuoco (KL City Club) were nearing obtaining Malaysian passports and FIFA approval to represent the national team.

He then believed both could debut in the match against Vietnam on March 31. However, last Thursday, neither Bergson nor Gallifuoco were named in the list of 28 players called up for the final Group F match against Vietnam.

Cklamovski stated that he had communicated with both players and they are very eager to play for the Malaysian team:

"They have a strong desire to play for Malaysia, to do something special for the country that has given them so much. The positive point is that they will be ready for the next training camp."

He also mentioned that Bergson and Gallifuoco are expected to potentially participate in Malaysia's ASEAN Championship campaign in July or the FIFA ASEAN Cup later this year.

Additionally, Spanish midfielder Nacho Mendez, currently playing for Johor Darul Ta'zim, is also not joining the national team camp due to injury.