KUALA LUMPUR – Wan Kuzain Wan Ahmad Kamal is set to don the black and yellow jersey as the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirms that his national team call-up is just around the corner.
FAM president Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said that the governing body has been closely monitoring the 25-year-old Wan Kuzain, who currently plays for St Louis City 2 in Missouri, over the last few months.
He revealed that Kuzain would have joined the national team earlier if not for a leg injury he suffered in a league match against Real Monarchs last month.
“Wan Kuzain wants to join us (the national team), and he has contacted me several times in the last few months. But luck is not on his side at the moment, as he sustained a severe injury, which will take months for him to recover.
“He’s currently in the midst of recovering, and God willing, when he recovers and obtains his passport, he will play for us,” said Hamidin in a press conference at Wisma FAM yesterday.
Born in Illinois, Kuzain trained with and represented the US at the under-17 level from 2013 to 2015 and gained experience with the Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord in 2015.
Kuzain is eligible to represent Malaysia due to his Malaysian parentage, as both of his parents are Malay.
However, his commitment to the Malaysian national team has faced scrutiny in the past.
In November 2019, Kuzain was called up to train with Malaysia’s under-23 national team under Datuk Ong Kim Swee ahead of the 2019 SEA Games in Manila but was excluded due to citizenship documentation issues.
Recently, Kuzain’s brother, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who is also the MP for Machang, told Scoop that his brother is ready to sacrifice his American citizenship for Harimau Malaya.
Meanwhile, Hamidin also revealed that Mats Deijl, who is of mixed Malaysian-Dutch descent, has also expressed interest in joining Harimau Malaya.
“His grandfather is from Malaysia, so we are in the process of bringing him on board. Deijl contacted our officers and head coach Pau Marti Vicente to express his desire to play for Malaysia,” Hamidin added.
The 27-year-old Deijl, who plays as a right back for Eredivisie (the top tier of Dutch football) side Go Ahead Eagles, has made a total of 96 appearances, scoring five goals since making his debut in 2021. – August 30, 2024
