Although admitting that it was “very difficult to accept,” FIFA’s decision last week to ban foreign players from representing Macao is just something the team will have to cope with, says head coach Lázaro Oliveira.
FIFA’s announcement has deprived the team of several of its most valuable players, including captain Niki Torrão, whose history with the team stretches back 20 years, as well as Filipe Duarte, Vítor Almeida, luri Capelo and David Kong Cardoso.
Despite being Macao permanent residents, the players are not SAR passport holders, which makes them ineligible according to the ruling.
Speaking to public broadcaster TDM, Oliveira said Macao nevertheless had to do its best in the upcoming Asia Cup match against Brunei, which is scheduled to take place on 6 September.
“We are preparing for the match, training two times a week,” Oliveira said. “We are going to do our best. For me it’s 50-50. They [Brunei] have a new coach, he’s a Portuguese also.” Oliveira praised the Brunei squad as a capable and fast team that was able to counterattack well.
[See more: FIFA says foreign nationals can’t play football for the Macao team]
The banned players have meanwhile voiced confusion and dismay over the international football body’s decision, with Capelo, a Macao resident with Thai and Portuguese ancestry, stating that he was born and raised in the city.
Oliveira said that lodging an appeal against FIFA’s decision would be “too late” and that he would have to select other individuals to replace the four banned players. Nonetheless, efforts to appeal are underway, with the Macau Football Association (known by its Portuguese initials AFM) stating that it had sought counsel from legal experts.
The chances of a reversal in the decision seem slim, with an AFM representative who spoke to Tribuna de Macau saying that “we can do little.” The association, however, is seeking further clarification on the matter from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
It argues that the SAR’s unique situation and its history of having Portuguese players in its team was not taken into consideration when FIFA made the decision.
Currently, the Macao team is ranked a lowly 185 on FIFA’s leaderboard, putting it among the bottom rung.
