Hidalgo gets all-clear for Harimau Malaya

Manuel Hidalgo. - CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Argentine-born winger Manuel Hidalgo has been cleared by FIFA to don the Harimau Malaya colours.

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman confirmed the news during the governing body’s second extraordinary congress on Thursday (Sept 17).

The 27-year-old Hidalgo becomes the third new player available for the national team, joining his Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) teammates Bergson Da Silva and Brad Tapp, who received the green light last Sunday.

"On the documentation of Harimau Malaya players, we received the clearance from FIFA on Wednesday," said Azman.

"We will release the official list of names soon."

However, JDT defender Shane Lowry did not proceed with his application due to injury.

Azman also said Kuala Lumpur defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco’s naturalisation process would need further review as there could be technical issues with his application.

The additions come in time for the FIFA Asean Cup, giving interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe more options for the Sept 24-Oct 5 tournament.

Thank you for your report!

曼努埃尔·伊达尔戈。——陈德光/《星报》

八打灵再也：阿根廷出生的边锋曼努埃尔·伊达尔戈已获得国际足联批准，可以代表马来亚虎队出战。

马来西亚足球协会（FAM）秘书长拿督诺尔·阿兹曼在周四（9月17日）举行的该管理机构第二次特别大会上证实了这一消息。

27 岁的伊达尔戈成为国家队第三位新入选的球员，与他的柔佛达鲁塔克辛（JDT）队友伯格森·达席尔瓦和布拉德·塔普一起，后者已于上周日获得国家队征召。

阿兹曼说：“关于马来虎队球员的参赛资格，我们周三收到了国际足联的批准。”

“我们将很快公布正式名单。”

然而，由于受伤，柔佛DT后卫肖恩·洛瑞未能继续推进他的申请。

阿兹曼还表示，吉隆坡后卫詹卡洛·加利福科的入籍程序需要进一步审查，因为他的申请可能存在技术问题。

这些新援的到来恰逢 FIFA 东盟杯开赛，为临时主教练陈清和在 9 月 24 日至 10 月 5 日的比赛中提供了更多选择。

感谢您的报告！