KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) midfielder Liridon Krasniqi is just a step away from donning the Harimau Malaya jersey.

The 28-year-old is now a naturalised Malaysian citizen.

The development was announced by the FA of Malaysia secretary-general Stuart Ramalingam in a statement here today.

He said it was a good development towards boosting the strength of the Harimau Malaya with naturalised players.

Stuart said the Kosovan became a full-fledged citizen of Malaysia following receipt of his MyKad at the National Registration Department headquarters in Putrajaya today.

He said Liridon would follow in the footsteps of Malaysia’s first naturalised player Mohamadou Sumareh as soon as final approval was obtained from FIFA.

"FAM will send the necessary documents regarding confirmation of Liridon as a citizen of Malaysia to FIFA without delay to complete the needed documentation process,” he said.

He added that FAM was thankful to the Home Ministry and Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for their assistance to get naturalised citizen status for Liridon.

FAM are targeting for Malaysia to be among the top 100 in the world by 2026. Malaysia are currently in 154th place.

Gambian-born Sumareh is Malaysia’s first naturalised player. He was co-opted into the national squad in July 2018.

Sumareh played an instrumental role in assisting Malaysia reach the final of 2018 Asean Football Federation Cup.

Malaysia lost to Vietnam 2-3 on aggregate in the two-legged final.

The next candidate on FAM’s radar for naturalised players is Perak striker Guilherme De Paula, who is from Brazil. — Bernama