KUALA LUMPUR: WHAT has happened to those days when Malaysian footballers gave their right arm to play for the country?
Sadly, nowadays, national team officials have to keep their fingers crossed that players will be "available' for Malaysia. Apparently, begging won't make any difference.
So much so, former national player Bobby Gonzales is alarmed over the shift in "priority and loyalty" in Malaysian footballers.
Bobby, who played for Malaysia from 2001 to 2021, lamented that the pride of playing for the country is being kicked out the window.
He expressed concern over players prioritising club commitments ahead of national duty especially when international tournaments are held outside the FIFA calendar.
"The problem is that players aren't showing up when called because their focus is on their clubs.
"We'll see if this changes under new national head coach, Peter Cklamovski.
"To me, playing for the national team is a big deal. It's something that should never be taken lightly," he said.
Bobby, 40, reminisced the days when wearing the national jersey was considered the pinnacle of a Malaysian footballer's career.
"During my time, whenever we got the call, we answered, no excuses. Today, you hear players saying they're injured, but then they return to their clubs and play. I think you understand what I mean."
Bobby's scathing comments came in the wake of Malaysia's early exit from the Asean Cup after a goalless draw at home with Singapore in a Group A match.
The Asean Cup, held outside the Fifa window, saw some clubs not releasing their top players for the national team.
While Bobby admitted that the players are employed by their clubs, he argued that the honour of donning the national colours should outweigh all else, especially when the competition offers world ranking points.