Sports critic Sadek Mustaffa urges the Malaysian national football team to emulate Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) by securing high-quality friendly matches abroad, particularly in Spain. He believes the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, could leverage his global connections to arrange these matches, even against top clubs if national teams aren't feasible during international breaks.

Sadek criticized the national team (Harimau Malaya), currently ranked world No. 125, for withdrawing from the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup (Aug 29-Sept 8) due to logistical and player availability issues. He argues that playing only "low-quality" matches against teams like Singapore and Palestine in September (as recently announced by FAM) will not aid their development, especially for foreign-based players traveling long distances. Sadek views the CAFA withdrawal as a major blunder, indicating a communication breakdown within the national team management regarding FIFA match days and player availability.