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KUALA LUMPUR: The Harimau Malaya squad's 14-place drop in rankings to 135th in the world has been described as a huge blow to head coach Peter Cklamovski. However, the Australian coach stressed that his squad remained positive despite the controversy that has engulfed the Malaysian football arena, and believed that efforts to break into the world's top 100 were still on the right track. He said everything within the team's control had been implemented well, including training aspects, playing style and tactical analysis, while describing external obstacles as temporary challenges that needed to be overcome. "Of course, in the last 12 months, we've been on the right track. The way we train, the way we play, the way we analyse opponents, the way we evaluate games, and how we can continue to develop football has been implemented well. "Things off the field have affected us, it's just a temporary setback, but for me, every great story has a negative aspect, and we need to take it as a lesson," he said when met ahead of the final Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam here yesterday. Cklamovski said time would be the deciding factor in realising this wish after taking over Harimau Malaya in 2024. Yesterday, the International Football Federation (FIFA) released the latest rankings for Harimau Malaya, which fell 14 places to 135th in the world with 1,095.90 points. The significant drop was due to the heavy punishment imposed by FIFA following the issue of document forgery involving seven players with illegal heritage. Earlier, FIFA annulled the results of three friendly matches against Cape Verde, Singapore and Palestine by awarding a 0-3 free victory to the opposing team. The situation became worse when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also took similar action against two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches against Vietnam and Nepal, which also used the services of the players involved. The AFC's decision declaring Malaysia to have lost 0-3 in the match not only took away the country's ranking points, but also confirmed the failure of Harimau Malaya to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Harimau Malaya’s ranking falls, Cklamovski remains optimistic

KUALA LUMPUR — The Harimau Malaya squad’s 14-place drop in rankings to 135th in the world has been described as a huge blow to head coach Peter Cklamovski. However, the .... read more

PUTRAJAYA — Malaysia’s preparations to host the 2027 Southeast Asian Games will remain on track despite economic challenges and tensions in West Asia, said Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari. He said cost-saving measures will be implemented, including using existing facilities across four clusters — Sarawak, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur — instead of building new infrastructure. Sarawak will host the opening ceremony and the largest number of sports, while Kuala Lumpur will stage the closing ceremony. Penang and Johor will host selected events. Despite logistical challenges of a multi-cluster format, he expressed confidence that the organising committee will ensure a smooth and high-quality Games, scheduled from Sept 18 to 29.

West Asia Conflict Will Not Affect Malaysia’s Preparations To Host 2027 SEA Games – Minister

PUTRAJAYA — Malaysia’s preparations to host the 2027 Southeast Asian Games will remain on track despite economic challenges and tensions in West Asia, said Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq .... read more

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Bernama) -- Their 2027 Asian Cup qualification hopes may be over, but Harimau Malaya remain undeterred. Harimau Malaya chief executive officer Rob Friend said they will now head to Hanoi for the last Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers third round against Vietnam on March 31 with intent. “Our attention is fully focused on preparation for the upcoming match against Vietnam, where the team will compete with the same belief, resilience, and discipline that the team has displayed throughout 2025,” he said in a statement today. Malaysia were unbeaten across all eight competitive matches throughout last year including outplaying Vietnam 4-0 at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, here on June 10. Friend said they acknowledged the decision issued by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee regarding the points deduction for Malaysia. “We respect the regulatory processes of the competition. At the same time, this matter is currently being reviewed through the appropriate legal channels. “Throughout this period, our priority remains clear to support our players and staff, and to ensure they are in the best possible position to represent Malaysia with professionalism, unity, and pride,” he said. The Canadian also took the opportunity to thank supporters for their continued belief in the team despite the heritage players controversy that rocked Malaysian football previously. On Tuesday, Malaysia were declared to have lost 3-0 to Nepal and Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches after the AFC ruled that Harimau Malaya had fielded ineligible players in those games. Following the penalty, Harimau Malaya have accumulated only nine points in the qualifiers and lost their spot in the 2027 Asian Cup. Before the decision, Malaysia led the group with 15 points, followed by Vietnam with 12, Laos with three, and Nepal without any points. Even if Malaysia defeat Vietnam in the final group match on March 31, it would still not be enough for the national squad to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup, as they would have only 12 points, while Vietnam would top the group with 15. Only the top team in the group qualifies for the Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia from Jan 7 to Feb 5. AFC had opened an investigation into Football Association of Malaysia over alleged document falsification involving seven heritage players, who had earlier been suspended by International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) in September over the same allegations. The seven players are Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.

Harimau Malaya To Give Their Best In Match Against Vietnam.

KUALA LUMPUR — Their 2027 Asian Cup qualification hopes may be over, but Harimau Malaya remain undeterred. Harimau Malaya chief executive officer Rob Friend said they will now head to .... read more

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) maintained their remarkable dominance in the Super League after thrashing PDRM FC 7-0 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium tonight. The Southern Tigers started aggressively as early as the fourth minute when Bergson Da Silva’s header from a cross by La’ Vere Corbin-Ong rattled the PDRM goal, guarded by goalkeeper Muhd Asri Muhamad, but it did not result in a goal. JDT’s dominance eventually paid off in the 14th minute when Yago Cesar finished off a pass from Manuel Hidalgo inside the penalty box to put the hosts ahead. The second goal came in the 20th minute through Ignacio Mendez, who unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box following a pass by Corbin-Ong. Four minutes later, in the 24th minute, Stuart Wilkin added a third with a fierce shot, giving JDT a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, JDT extended their lead in the 51st minute when Stuart Wilkin capitalised on a scramble inside the penalty area from a pass by Manuel Hidalgo. In the 71st minute, Jairo Da Silva nearly added to the tally, but his goal was disallowed following a VAR review that ruled him offside inside the penalty area. JDT’s fifth goal came in the 80th minute when Jairo Da Silva tapped in from a pass by Muhammad Nazmi Faiz Mansor, beating substitute goalkeeper Nor Hakeem Hamidun. A minute later, in the 81st minute, Jairo Da Silva struck again with a shot from outside the box, again assisted by Muhammad Nazmi Faiz Mansor, making it 6-0 for the hosts. In the 87th minute, Bergson Da Silva added the seventh goal after capitalising on a pass from Jairo Da Silva, sealing a resounding 7-0 victory for JDT. Despite several counter-attacks, PDRM FC were unable to break through JDT’s solid defence. The victory underscores JDT’s dominance in the Super League and adds to their remarkable record of 12 consecutive league titles since 2015.

Super League: JDT Thrash PDRM FC 7-0 To Extend Dominant Reign

ISKANDAR PUTERI — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) maintained their remarkable dominance in the Super League after thrashing PDRM FC 7-0 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium tonight. The Southern Tigers started .... read more

Melaka FC Determined to Improve Super League Ranking – Elavarasan

MELAKA — Melaka FC Head Coach E.Elavarasan described the 2-1 victory over Kelantan The Real Warriors in the Super League match last night as three very important points to improve .... read more

Sivasangari ends 13-month drought, wins Australian Open

KUALA LUMPUR: National women’s squash player S. Sivasangari ended her 13-month championship drought in style when she defeated American player Marina Stefanoni to win the 2026 Australian Open title in .... read more

F1 cancels Bahrain GP, ​​Saudi Arabia following tensions in West Asia

ISTANBUL: Formula One (F1) confirmed early Sunday that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (GP) races will not take place in April due to rising tensions in the Middle .... read more

MotoGP postpones the Qatar Grand Prix to November 8 following the conflict in West Asia

KUALA LUMPUR — MotoGP confirmed on Sunday that the Qatar Grand Prix (GP), scheduled to take place this April, has been postponed to Nov 8 due to the geopolitical tensions .... read more

RM250 Milllion Allocated Under Sejati MADANI Grants For Youth Societies – Youth, Sports Minister

MELAKA — The government has expanded the Sejati MADANI grants this year to youth societies to develop entrepreneurial activities capable of generating income, Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq .... read more

JDT Wins 12th Consecutive Super League Title

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Bernama) — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) have won their 12th consecutive Super League title, as they continued to assert their dominance over the domestic football scene .... read more

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