KUALA LUMPUR: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) is still open to accepting heritage players to strengthen the national team.
FAM deputy president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi said heritage players must meet certain standards to qualify for the national side.
"What is important here is that we are looking for heritage players who can bring something new to the Harimau Malaya squad," he said.
"We don't want to recruit players solely based on their heritage status. They must have better qualities than the local players
On Tuesday, Dutch footballer Mat Deijl's application to represent Malaysia was rejected after failing to meet Fifa's criteria.
Deijl, who plays for Go Ahead Eagles, had expressed interest in joining Harimau Malaya based on his ancestry.
However, it was found that his Malaysian heritage comes through his great-grandparents, rather than his grandparents, as stipulated by Fifa.
Deijl is an example of a player who showed great commitment, and we hope to find more players like him who have the same desire," Yusoff said, after FAM signed a partnership deal with Warner Music Malaysia (WMM) as the official music partner of Harimau Malaya, earlier today.
Following Fifa's decision, Deijl expressed his disappointment on social media, describing the rule as unreasonable and "stupid".