Burnley FC captain Josh Brownhill says he is not Malaysian, dismisses ‘rumours’ he wants to represent Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: English footballer Josh Brownhill has rubbished claims that he would be eligible to play for Harimau Malaya due to his alleged Malaysian heritage, which he has since denied. 

Harimau Malaya is the nickname of the Malaysia national football team. 

“Just wanted to address the situation of some rumours that have gone around. Unfortunately, my only nationality is English and I am not Malaysian as some people may believe,” the Burnley FC captain said in an Instagram story post on Sunday (Dec 29), amid fervent rumours that he would represent the Southeast Asian nation. 

“I’m not sure how this started but I wanted to clear it up.”

Local news outlet Malay Mail reported that the 29-year-old midfielder’s alleged connection to Malaysia first surfaced when social media page FR Future Talents shared an email exchange purportedly with Brownhill on Sep 3, revealing his Malaysian roots through his grandmother. 

Brownhill reportedly expressed pride in his ancestry and said he would consider the opportunity to represent Malaysia if approached. 

“While I have focused on my club career up until now, the possibility of representing Malaysia at the international level is something I would be open to considering,” he was quoted as saying on Sep 3 to FR Future Talents by Malay Mail.

FR Future Talents’ X account has since been made private while a check on Instagram saw that its page “isn’t available”. 

Brownhill, however, did not mention whether he had been in communication with FR Future Talents in his Instagram story on Sunday. 

Shortly after Brownhill’s official statement on Sunday, Johor’s regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim shared an Instagram story of his private exchange with the former Bristol City FC player where he had asked