KUALA LUMPUR — The arrival of naturalised and heritage players in the national football team and the M-League has improved the communication skills of local footballers, according to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Media and Communications Committee Chairman, Christopher Raj.
Previously, several Malaysian footballers, including Faisal Halim and Safawi Rasid, faced criticism for their poor communication skills during press conferences and interviews at international matches and tournaments.
Since then, FAM has introduced media training programmes to help players improve their communication skills and become more confident in answering questions.
“With the emergence of many naturalised and heritage players in both the M-League and the national team, we have seen a significant improvement in our local players’ communication skills,” said Christopher during Scoop’s podcast session, Sport Check.
“Particularly, players from teams like Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), competing in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE), and Selangor FC in the Asian Champions League 2, have gained valuable exposure and learned a great deal by interacting with international players.
“Our local players have also become very proficient with social media. You can see it in how they post and their level of comfort using these platforms. In fact, some players have become bolder in addressing their issues openly.
“We have also been conducting media training programmes for our players, which have been immensely beneficial.”
The Malaysian national football team currently features four naturalised players: Endrick Dos Santos, Mohamadou Sumareh, Paulo Josue, and Romel Morales.
Additionally, Harimau Malaya has included 10 mixed-heritage players: Matthew Davies, Daniel Ting, Dominic Tan, Junior Eldstal, Dion Cools, La’Vere Corbin-Ong, Stuart Wilkin, Brendan Gan, Natxo Insa, and Darren Lok into the fold.
With a total of 14 naturalised and heritage players, Malaysia is tied with Hong Kong for the highest number among Asian national football teams. Lebanon and Qatar follow in second place, each with 12 players. – December 3, 2024