



The deed is done. Liridon becomes the second player naturalised by Malaysia after Mohamadou Sumareh and in his new capacity will be able to help not only Malaysia but also Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) today revealed that Liridon has received his Malaysia Identification Card (IC) which confirms his status as a citizen of Malaysia.

FAM has been keen to use the naturalisation process to hasten the improvement of the national team and the success with Liridon could be seen as a big coup for them.

However there's still the small matter of football's world governing body, FIFA to approve Liridon's status change before he is allowed to play for Malaysia but that is a mere formality at this juncture.

Liridon Krasniqi, Malaysia, Johor Darul Ta'zim More

That said, Liridon will not be available for Tan Cheng Hoe's selection during the March or June qualifying matches because he was not registered in the initial list prior to the start of the qualifiers.

Which means that after FIFA's approval, the 28-year-old midfielder can play for the national team in friendly matches but the competitive ones will only be in the next round of the qualifiers.

But the national team of Malaysia will not be the only beneficiary of Liridon's new status as JDT will also be able to reap the benefits of his change.

For the domestic competitions such as Super League, Malaysia Cup and FA Cup; Liridon counts as a local player. Something which also applies for JDT in the AFC Champions League.

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