KUALA LUMPUR: KL City footballer Romel Morales could soon be Malaysia's next naturalised player.
The Colombian-born midfielder is expected to receive his Malaysian citizenship, and could represent Harimau Malaya in the Asian Cup in Qatar from Jan 12-Feb 10.
Morales, 25, joined KL City in 2021 after turning out for Melaka United in 2020.
Playing in the M-League since 2018, he represented
PKNS for two seasons earlier.
The national team already have seven naturalised players - Paulo Josue, Guilherme De Paula, Lee Tuck, Sergio Aguero, Mohamadou Sumareh, Liridon Krasniqi and Endrick dos Santos.
The inclusion of Morales could mean more options for Malaysia in the attacking department.
KL City FC chief executive officer Stanley Bernard revealed today that Morales is waiting for the green light from the Home Ministry on his citizenship.
In a separate issue, KL City president Khalid Abdul Samad denied an allegation that the club has not been paying salaries and making Employees Provident Fund contributions for its players.
Khalid said he is saddened that a group of KL City fans are spreading false news and sabotaging the club.
"We have no issues with our players' EPF. If we have not paid EPF for two years, surely action would have been taken against us. As for the players' wages, we have always paid them although we have had delays," said Khalid.
