KUALA LUMPUR: Australia-born defender Shane Lowry has been cleared by FIFA to represent Malaysia after the world governing body approved his change of international association.
According to the official FIFA Change of Association Platform, the Players’ Status Chamber of the FIFA Football Tribunal yesterday (Nov 12) approved the 37-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) centre-back’s switch to the FA of Malaysia (FAM).
Lowry’s former associations included the FA of Ireland and Football Australia Limited.
Born in Perth, Western Australia, he represented the Republic of Ireland at Under-17 and Under-21 levels before pursuing a senior international career with Australia.
The approval ends an eligibility saga that began earlier this season when Lowry first appeared as a local player on JDT’s domestic roster.
In August, Lowry, who joined the Southern Tigers from Qatari side Al Ahli in May 2021 and has fulfilled the five-year residency requirement in Malaysia, sparked debate among fans after being listed as a local player in JDT’s Super League opener and Sultan Ahmad Shah Cup victory over Kuching City.
He was registered alongside Brazilian striker Bergson da Silva, Argentine winger Manuel Hidalgo and Australia-born defender Brad Tapp without the foreign-player indicators typically displayed in FAM’s competition management system.
The registrations followed the Malaysian Football League’s (MFL) expansion of local player squad quotas from 18 to 23 for the 2026-2027 season, increasing maximum squad sizes from 33 to 38.
However, securing local status in domestic competitions did not automatically make Lowry eligible for Harimau Malaya, with his international paperwork drawing scrutiny over conflicting timelines from FAM.
On Sept 13, when confirming FIFA clearances for Bergson and Tapp ahead of the FIFA Asean Cup in Jakarta, FAM said Lowry’s eligibility was still under review in Zurich.
“The status of two other JDT players, Manuel Hidalgo and Shane Lowry, is still in the review and verification process by FIFA, and FAM is still waiting for an official decision from the world governing body,” FAM said in its statement.
Four days later, following FAM’s extraordinary congress on Sept 17, secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman appeared to contradict the earlier statement, saying Lowry’s application had not been submitted because of fitness concerns.
“Lowry was not applied for because he is injured. It is only three players for now, and we are just waiting on the passport clearance with the relevant FA,” Noor Azman said.
FAM only confirmed in late October that Lowry’s application had been formally submitted to FIFA.
“Lowry’s documents are complete, and we have submitted them to FIFA. We are now waiting for FIFA’s approval process in the near future,” Noor Azman said on Oct 27.
Although Lowry is not part of interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s 23-man squad in Guangdong, China, for the friendlies against China tomorrow and Yemen on Nov 17, FIFA’s approval makes the veteran defender available for future Harimau Malaya selection.
Both JDT and FAM have yet to issue official statements on the development.