Malaysian newspaper fears that Vietnam team will naturalize players en masse to take revenge

The Malaysian national team has “transformed” by naturalizing a series of players of South American and European origin. Thanks to that, they won 4-0 against the Vietnamese national team in the first leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at Bukit Jalil Stadium on June 10.

Báo Malaysia lo ngại tuyển Việt Nam nhập tịch ồ ạt để phục hận - 1 — The Vietnamese team was pushed into a corner after losing to Malaysia (Photo: VFF).

This is what makes the Malaysian press worry that the Vietnamese team will massively naturalize players to take revenge on the home team in the return match in March next year.

Bharian newspaper commented: “Harimau Malaya (the nickname of the Malaysian team) cannot be overconfident despite having a great chance to enter the final round of the 2027 Asian Cup after winning against the Vietnamese team in the first leg.

This is considered an unforgettable defeat for the Vietnamese team. Remember, before this match, they had never lost to Malaysia in 11 years.

Therefore, many people believe that coach Kim Sang Sik will outline a new strategy to restore the reputation of the Vietnamese team, while also saving the hope of winning a ticket to the second leg at home in March next year.

That match is still 9 months away. It is possible that the Vietnamese team will follow Malaysia’s example and massively naturalize foreign players to add quality to the team. Remember, the top scorer of the AFF Cup 2024, Xuan Son, cannot participate in the first leg due to injury.”

Báo Malaysia lo ngại tuyển Việt Nam nhập tịch ồ ạt để phục hận - 2 — Malaysian newspaper fears that the Vietnamese national team will massively naturalize many players like Xuan Son to improve the quality of the squad (Photo: Tien Tuan).

The Bharian newspaper quoted expert Azlan Johar as saying: “The possibility of the Vietnamese team naturalizing players en masse like Malaysia could happen. We have selected A-list stars. They will also try to naturalize A-list stars. They not only want to face Malaysia but also many other opponents.

Certainly, the Vietnamese team does not want to be humiliated again in the rematch with Malaysia in March next year. Therefore, Harimau Malaya must be fully prepared and alert because the Vietnamese team will rise up.”

According to the regulations of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in case two teams have the same score in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the head-to-head difference will be considered first. Therefore, the "Golden Dragons" need to win by 4 goals or more against Malaysia (in case Malaysia does not stumble against Laos or Nepal) if they want to win a ticket to the Asian Cup.