Extend Harimau Malaya's meritocratic principles to public sector leadership, says Zaid
Nine of Harimau Malaya's starting-11 in their 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam last night were naturalised players. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has questioned why merit-based policies in Malaysia cannot be applied to public sector leadership following Harimau Malaya's convincing win against Vietnam in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier last night.
A new-look Harimau Malaya eased past reigning Asean Cup champions Vietnam 4-0 in front of more than 61,000 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, their first victory against the Golden Star Warriors in 11 years.
Nine of the team's starting-11 were naturalised players, with five of them – Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Jon Irazabal, Facundo Garces and Imanol Machuca – receiving Fifa clearance just hours before kick-off.
In a Facebook post, Zaid noted that a flexible naturalisation policy and deep pockets have allowed the Football Association of Malaysia to attract world-class players.
'I was astounded to read about the team's win over Vietnam. It was not so long ago that Malaysia was floundering at the bottom of the world rankings. We might soon win the World Cup,' he quipped.
'From the list of our players, I can only recognise two whom I would consider Malaysian.
'This brings me to the question: if we can transform football teams in that fashion, why not transform our political leaders, civil service, and GLC heads by enticing world-class expertise to prop up the country?
'Why are we so against merit-based policy in other, more critical fields? Why are they only limited to football?'
The result solidifies Malaysia's spot at the top of the four-team Group F with three wins from as many matches.
Harimau Malaya, who have yet to concede a goal in their qualifying campaign, will face Laos in their next match on Oct 9.
Only the group winner will secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from Jan 7 to Feb 5, 2027.
FAM's policy of naturalising foreign players for the national team came under scrutiny from former national players last year, who argued that the national football body should focus on developing local talent rather than relying on foreign-born players.
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