KUALA LUMPUR: Stop spreading rumours about the naturalisation of European-based footballers with unsubstantiated links to Malaysia.
This is the call from football agent Effendi Jagan Abdullah who urged the public not to take social media claims at face value.
England's Burnley FC player Joshua Brownhill recently denied the rumours about his ties to Malaysia, joining a growing list of players distancing themselves from similar speculation.
And PSV Eindhoven's Iggy Houben told the Dutch media: "Malaysia? Our family is one hundred per cent Limburgs."
Newcastle's Isaac Hayden said on Instagram: "Malaysia is an amazing part of the world, but I don't have any heritage there, so I cannot play for the country. Please stop tagging or mentioning me in posts about this."
Effendi applauded Tunku Mahkota Ismail Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ) for directly clarifying with Brownhill, and putting a stop to the rumours.
"This kind of hearsay needs to stop, it's getting out of hand. It's not as simple as picking any Tom, Dick or Harry from social media claims. This is best left to the national team management and TMJ's Harimau Malaya project.
"What we see on social media is often driven by fans, and there's no way to verify its legitimacy," said Effendi.
Effendi warned that if such rumours persist, they could harm Malaysia's reputation in the global football community. "Let's not repeat this. Otherwise, we risk looking desperate and foolish," he added.