KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 -- The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has temporarily halted its national-level player naturalisation programme, the Youth and Sports Ministry said yesterday.

In a Parliamentary written reply to Chow Yu Hu (PH-Raub), the ministry said however football clubs under the Malaysia Football League (MFL) may continue the process according to government guidelines.

"Generally, the criteria for selecting a naturalised player include having played in the national league for at least five consecutive years under the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) since the age of 18 and not having represented another country at the senior level," the ministry said.

It added that the conditions and regulations governing the na...