FAM said Fifa confirmed the matter in a letter dated Sept 25 after FAM sought its views on Deijl’s status.

According to a statement issued by FAM, 27-year-old Deijl only has Malaysian ancestry through his great-grandparent and not through his grandparents, as stipulated by Fifa’s regulations.

“Based on Fifa’s answer, FAM confirms that this player cannot represent Malaysia as his Malaysian ancestry is from his great-grandmother (the mother of his grandfather) and not his grandparents.

“FAM is grateful to the player for his interest and determination to represent the national football team, however, it cannot be realised,” FAM said in a statement today.

FAM also said that it had contacted several other players whose names were suggested on social media but there had yet to be any positive development, especially in terms of documents verifying their Malaysian ancestry.

“Referring to Article 8 of the Regulations Governing the Application of Fifa Statutes regarding eligibility to represent a national team, a player may represent a country if they meet one of the following criteria:

“First, the player was born in that country; second, the player’s mother or father was born in that country; third, the player’s grandparents were born in that country; or fourth, the player has resided in that country for more than five years,” FAM added.