* Laos vs. Malaysia: 7 p.m. Thursday, 9/10.

Malaysia national team coach Peter Cklamovski affirmed that FIFA's recent sanctions will not distract his team as they prepare to face Laos in the final round of Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.

"We are not distracted by FIFA's sanctions," Cklamovski stated during a press conference in Laos on the afternoon of 8/10. "This is beyond our control and does not concern the team. I understand there is a lot of external noise, but the team is focused on traveling to Laos and concentrating on a tough opponent."

FIFA's severe sanctions led to Malaysia losing seven key naturalized players, who were instrumental in their 4-0 victory against Vietnam on 10/6. The team's morale was also affected amid the footballing turmoil. Seven Malaysian players received a 12-month ban from FIFA for football activities: Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado, Facundo Garces (of Argentinian origin), Joao Figueiredo (Brazil), Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero (Spain), and Hector Hevel (Netherlands).

Malaysia national team coach Peter Cklamovski at a press conference before the match against Laos in the third round of Group F of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, held at the Laos Football Federation headquarters on 8/10/2025. Photo: LFF

The Australian coach expressed confidence in his players, affirming their strong spirit and commitment to upcoming matches. He believes they will give their best for each other and continue building the team as planned.

Malaysia currently leads Group F with two wins, defeating Nepal 2-0 and Vietnam 4-0. Laos is third in the group. In the FIFA rankings, Malaysia stands 123rd, 62 places above Laos. Historically, in 19 encounters since 1968, Malaysia has won 13, drawn five, and lost one.

Cklamovski outlined his team's approach for the upcoming game. "We will approach the match with the utmost respect, but we will demonstrate a strong playing style in all aspects," he said. "The team aims not to concede, to coordinate well, and to score many goals. We also know the spaces we can exploit to pressure Laos."

Their current squad comprises 29 players: ten mixed-heritage players and five fully foreign-born players. The mixed-heritage players are Daniel Ting, Stuart Wilkin, Declan Lambert (English origin), La'Vere Corbin-Ong (Barbados), Richard Chin (Seychelles), Junior Eldstal (Swedish origin), Quentin Cheng, Dominic Tan (Chinese origin), Dion Cools (Belgian origin), and Nooa Laine (Finnish origin). The fully foreign-born players include Endrick, Paulo Josue (Brazilian origin), Sergio Aguero (Argentinian origin), Romel Morales (Colombian origin), and Jordan Mintah (Ghanaian origin).

Coach Cklamovski will reduce the squad to 23 players for the away match against Laos tomorrow, 9/10. The return leg will be played on 14/10 in Malaysia.

Hieu Luong