KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has denied speculation linking Spanish-born midfielder Nacho Mendez to the Harimau Malaya squad.
Rumours had circulated suggesting the 27-year-old — formerly with La Liga side Sporting Gijón — could be naturalised to represent Malaysia, citing his reported roots in Malaysia, Cuba, and Spain.
However, FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman made it clear that Mendez is not part of national head coach Peter Cklamovski’s plans.
“We have nothing to say on this matter as it is purely speculation, and we typically do not entertain rumours,” Azman told Scoop.
“In this case, we are not undertaking any process involving Mendez and have no knowledge of such developments.
“If there were any legitimate process underway, we would have already made an official announcement — we have nothing to hide. We firmly dismiss any speculation linking FAM to this issue.”
FAM recently brought in several heritage players — Facundo Garcés, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, and Jon Irazabal — all of whom made their debut in last month’s 4-0 Asian Cup qualifier win.
The move drew criticism from some quarters in Indonesia and Vietnam, with questions raised over the players’ Malaysian lineage.
Machuca, Holgado, and Garcés are from Argentina, Figueiredo from Brazil, and Irazabal from Spain. So far, only Garcés has publicly acknowledged his Malaysian heritage, saying it comes through his grandmother.
Under Cklamovski, Malaysia currently lead Group F with six points, ahead of Vietnam and Laos (three points each), while Nepal remain bottom with none.
The team began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Nepal in March, followed by a dominant victory against Vietnam. – July 8, 2025