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Malaysian-born NZ footballer out to prove himself

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Khair Jefri Jones says he never considered international football until he was called up to represent the national team.

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PETALING JAYA:
Born in Malaysia and raised in New Zealand, Khair Jefri Jones was a stranger to the Malaysian football team until he made his international debut against Myanmar last Saturday.

As reported by football magazine FourFourTwo, Khair Jefri had never considered international football until he got called to play for the national side.

Khair Jefri said Malaysia was not new to him as he used to come back every year to visit his mother’s family, but the Malaysian football scene was new to him.

Born to a Welsh father and Malaysian mother in 1989 in Negri Sembilan, Khair Jefri moved around a lot after his family shifted to the United Kingdom and then to United States and finally settled in New Zealand when he was seven. He now holds a PR in New Zealand.

Khair Jefri feels his footballing future lies in Malaysia after signing with Malacca for the 2016 Malaysia Premier League season. He says he can’t wait to take the club into the Malaysia Super League (MSL).

The New Zealander had featured for Hawke’s Bay United in his country in the 2015/2016 season.

“The league in New Zealand isn’t professional and my studying wasn’t going well either. Then the opportunity came up to play in Malaysia,” he said.

“Malacca approached my club and the PhD I was doing turned out not to be what I wanted, so I figured I’d give this a shot,” he said.

“I actually almost signed for Negri Sembilan in 2014 after I met a scout who happened to be a friend of my cousin. I later picked up an ankle injury and the move just cooled off.

“The MPL is perhaps a bit lower in standard compared to the ASB Premiership (in New Zealand), but the imports here make it as tough. I see myself spending the rest of my football career in Malaysia,” said Khair Jefri.

“It was a tough call leaving my family back home and I still don’t know many outside my team … I’m just a quiet person. But I like Malacca and I can compare it to my hometown Palmerston North to some extent. It’s more humid here though. The evening kick-off for some away matches takes a toll.

“I see myself spending the rest of my football career in Malaysia. The language is still a bit of a struggle, but hopefully I’ll improve in time to come,” he said.

Khair Jefri was called to feature for the national team after performing well with Malacca. He made his debut against Myanmar by replacing the injured Fazly Mazlan in the second half.

If Fazly is unavailable and coach Ong Kim Swee decides not to play Azrif Nasrulhaq to the left, then Khair Jefri could play against Timor Leste. He performed well at left-back in the match against Myanmar.

Khair Jefri said he could feel the rise in intensity during training with the Malaysian squad compared to Malacca and New Zealand as the national team was a whole new ballgame altogether.

Khair Jefri doesn’t even know whether there’s a place for him in the Malaysian line-up, everything is still a mystery for him.

“I don’t know what to expect. I never really thought about the national team as I was just focused on Malacca. Then they saw I had potential for the national team … and that was it,” Khair Jefri said, adding that he was actually thinking of going back to New Zealand during the mid-season break but now the holiday plans were on hold.

“I want to pass this test and be part of the squad for the next few years,” said Khair Jefri.

In the Malacca team, Jones played at the centre back position because of his height (1.91m) as it was easier for him to win aerial challenges. But in the national team, coach Ong Kim Swee has put him at the left-back position.

Towering defender Khair Jefri may just have to fight for his place in the starting line up for the national team, and we might see more of him in the coming matches.

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