NOW, threat that FIFA will take over FAM - 'full takeover by a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee"
Haresh Deol, a prominent football pundit and editor at local news outlet Twentytwo13, said it was "the biggest scandal in the country after 1Malaysia Development Berhad"
FIFA highlighted Malaysia's Football Scandal, and it also raised a Citizenship Scandal and also the possibility of government involvement in FRAUD - in the documents submitted by Malaysia.
The issues of concern for Malaysians > How did the said foreign players become Malaysian citizens? It is very difficult for them to acquire citizenship? Citizenship is a major concern as many deserving still have not been given citizenship - the Stateless, the Bajau Laut - and many others? Did they reside in Malaysia for 10 years and continue to reside in Malaysia? Did they relinquish the citizenship of other nations - Malaysia generally does not allow dual citizenship..The HOME Minister is responsible - till now, the government seem to have ignored investigating this issue - the CONDITIONS are mandatory, and the Minister has no power to exempt anyone from satisfying this conditions/requirement - although he
Hannah
Yeoh(Sports Minister) Saifuddin Nasution(Home Minister) - FAM-FIFA
Global Scandal - Allegation of Forgery/Lies in making foreign
footballers Malaysian Citizens - A BIG EMBARASSMENT?
The issue that FIFA is concerned with is different. FIFA does not want its member countries to simple make foreigners citizens so that they can play for the country. So, FIFA requires something additional, that is either a grandparent or parent was born in Malaysia > and here FAM allegedly submitted documents to prove this birth in Malaysia, and WHO can issue this kind of documentary PROOF, if not the HOME Ministry...so, the allegations is also an allegation against the Malaysian Government - and FIFA suggested criminal action against perpetrators - but, as far as I know, still nothing that is publicly made known yet..
Football Association of Malaysia(FAM) comes directly under the Sports Minister - The Malaysian government and/or the Ministry should have commenced investigation to determine the TRUTH as soon as they became aware of the complaint lodged in JUNE 2025....still PM Anwar's MADANI government is not taking action including FIFA's recommendation that criminal action be taken that those who committed FRAUD???
* Complaint received by FIFA on June 11 2025 prompted the world football body to open an investigation into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the seven heritage players.
26/9/2025 - Fifa Disciplinary Committee rules against FAM(Malaysia) - and imposes punishment.
Early November 2025, FIFA’s Appeal Committee rejected that appeal in full, upholding both the fines and the bans
NOW, threat that FIFA will take over FAM - 'full takeover by a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee"
In November last year, FIFA's appeals committee dismissed appeals from FAM and seven naturalised players - Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel - who were found to have breached Article 22 of the disciplinary code, relating to the forgery and falsification of documents.
FIFA's disciplinary committee had earlier ordered FAM to pay a CHF350,000 (RM1.8 million) fine, while each of the seven players received a CHF2,000 (RM10,600) fine and a 12-month ban from all football-related activities.
FIFA also forfeited Malaysia's results in three international friendly matches last year, awarding 3-0 victories to their opponents - Cape Verde, Singapore and Palestine.
In addition, FAM was ordered to pay a further CHF10,000 (approximately RM51,414) fine.
Further trouble could lie ahead for Harimau Malaya, with the AFC expected to deduct points from their 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, as FAM await the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over FIFA's sanctions on the association and the seven heritage players.
MOST Disappointing the Minister responsible for Sports, when the issue was raised to FIFA > when a reasonable appropriate response was a SPEEDY investigation to VERIFY the truth/falsehood of the allegations, and to immediately TAKE NEEDED ACTION against all wrongdoers.. BUT our Minister(and the Government) sadly decided to side with FAM(Football Association of Malaysia) and waited until FIFA decided.
After FIFA decided against - the Minister(and Government) decided to wait for the outcome of the Appeal.. and the Appeal confirmed the earlier FIFA decision.
NOW, what wait for FAM taking FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)???
Same with 1MDB Scandal - it WAS first denied by the Malaysian AG/PP that it was a CRIME.
Is PM Anwar and the MADANI government still in denial that FAM, possibly some Government Ministries committed a CRIME - as the creation of fraudulent documents is certainly a crime > now known by so many countries, if not all members of FIFA.
IT IS A GREAT SHAME - Why does Anwar and the Government still try to 'believe' that Malaysia and FAM is innocent? Why still no serious investigation to find the perpetrators of the crime, that most probably involved the Home Ministry or officers therein - the generating of documents claiming that parent/grandparent born in Malaysia...
Is this foreign, now Malaysians, receiving SARA Aid as well? Will they be VOTING in the next elections...
Can the government set up an INDEPENDENT team or even a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate whether CITIZENSHIP was granted in accordance with LAW, and all mandatory conditions was satisfied - Was it an abuse of power by the Home Minister, wrongly believing that he can make any foreigner a Malaysian?
1MDB was exposed mainly by foreigners - and the FIFA related wrongs was exposed by FIFA. Who lodged the complaint is irrelevant - FIFA made its decision, and since nothing is happening in Malaysia, Malaysian football is at risk of being taken over by a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee
Aysha Ridzuan, a sport consultant who previously worked for FAM, said the win against Vietnam was "huge for the fans"."[But] as fans, we would probably rather lose … than win like this — having players who are not supposed to play for us," she said.
"Presenting fraudulent documentation with the purpose of gaining eligibility to play for a national team constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating," it said."The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of football."Not only those governing a player's eligibility to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," FIFA concluded.
The committee said they were unable to determine the mastermind behind the falsification due to several constraints, including the lack of cooperation from the certifying notary public and the inability to locate the seven players’ two agents, Nicolas Puppo and Frederico Moraes.In line with FIFA’s written explanation to FAM last month, the IIC have recommended that a police report be lodged.“The IIC could not conclusively determine who falsified the disputed documents. - FAM's Independent Investigation Committee (IIC)
CRIME confirmed - but still no one charged in court. I believe that the Minister responsible for Sports, and the Prime Minister should also be criminally liable for their failure to prevent this crime in Malaysian sports - What do you think?
CITIZENSHIP Issue - is a Parliamentary Select Committee even investigating this?
FAM exco set for mass resignation to avoid FIFA takeover [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: In what is being described as a "strategic retreat" to safeguard the future of Malaysian football, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) executive committee is expected to tender a collective resignation as early as next week.
Sources close to the governing body said the move is a calculated attempt to prevent a full takeover by a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.
By stepping down voluntarily, the current leadership aims to initiate an internal "cleansing" process, allowing a temporary committee to oversee a fresh extraordinary election congress.
"The goal is to show FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that FAM is capable of self-correction," a source said.
"If the exco stays and a suspension is imposed, FAM loses all control. By resigning now, they are effectively hitting the reset button on their own terms."
The decision follows a meeting held two weeks ago, where 13 executive committee members weighed the risks of international isolation.
While a small group initially resisted the proposal, consensus eventually shifted towards a "mass sacrifice" to protect the future of the domestic league and the national team.
A press conference to announce the transition is expected by Jan 28.
Previously, AFC had suggested that the FAM exco step down to avoid suspension, which would otherwise result in the association being temporarily administered by FIFA and the continental body.
In November last year, FIFA's appeals committee dismissed appeals from FAM and seven naturalised players - Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel - who were found to have breached Article 22 of the disciplinary code, relating to the forgery and falsification of documents.
FIFA's disciplinary committee had earlier ordered FAM to pay a CHF350,000 (RM1.8 million) fine, while each of the seven players received a CHF2,000 (RM10,600) fine and a 12-month ban from all football-related activities.
FIFA also forfeited Malaysia's results in three international friendly matches last year, awarding 3-0 victories to their opponents - Cape Verde, Singapore and Palestine.
In addition, FAM was ordered to pay a further CHF10,000 (approximately RM51,414) fine.
Further trouble could lie ahead for Harimau Malaya, with the AFC expected to deduct points from their 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign, as FAM await the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over FIFA's sanctions on the association and the seven heritage players.
Malaysia had also fielded ineligible players in their 2-0 win over Nepal on March 25 and the 4-0 victory against Vietnam on June 10. - NST, 21/1/2026
How Malaysia’s Naturalization Scandal Reached Its Familiar Ending
When FIFA’s ruling was finally made public in late September 2025, it felt less like a bombshell and more like the inevitable conclusion to a saga that had been quietly building for months. The Football Association of Malaysia was fined heavily, seven naturalized players were handed 12-month bans, and Malaysian football once again found itself under an uncomfortable global spotlight. What caught attention was not the severity of the punishment, but its direction.
As FAM absorbed the full weight of FIFA’s sanctions, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim—the most influential figure in the country’s football landscape—remained notably untouched.
That imbalance would come to define the affair.
The origins of the controversy did not lie in the second half of 2025, but earlier that year. Malaysia’s aggressive push to fast-track naturalized players had already gathered pace by early 2025, with several foreign-born players claiming Malaysian heritage being cleared to represent the national team. By June 2025, seven such players had featured together in competitive fixtures, most notably in Malaysia’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
At the time, their eligibility appeared settled. FIFA had initially indicated that the documents submitted by FAM suggested the players were eligible. Public scrutiny was minimal, and the results on the pitch only added momentum to the project.
That changed almost immediately.
On 11 June 2025, a formal complaint was lodged with FIFA questioning the authenticity of the documentation used to establish Malaysian lineage for the players. What had previously been a background murmur suddenly became an official investigation. FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings, re-examining documents that had earlier passed preliminary checks.
The process moved largely out of public view until 26 September 2025, when FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee delivered its verdict. The documents submitted by FAM were found to be falsified or misleading. Under FIFA’s strict-liability framework, intent was irrelevant. Responsibility lay with the association that filed the paperwork. FAM was fined CHF 350,000, while the seven players were banned from all football activity for 12 months.
FAM appealed. In early November 2025, FIFA’s Appeal Committee rejected that appeal in full, upholding both the fines and the bans. Only then did the matter move toward the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
On paper, the issue was resolved.
But Malaysian football rarely operates purely on paper.
The naturalization drive was not an accidental administrative overreach. It was part of a broader strategy to accelerate Malaysia’s competitiveness, a strategy publicly articulated and defended by TMJ well before the sanctions were imposed. Throughout the first half of 2025, he spoke openly about the need for Malaysia to be more ambitious, to stop lagging behind regional rivals, and to fully exploit legal pathways to strengthen the national team.
He approved candidate pools. He defended the inclusion of naturalized players when doubts were raised. And when FIFA’s sanctions were confirmed in September 2025, he stepped forward once more, offering to personally finance FAM’s legal challenge to CAS, stressing that no public funds would be used.
Yet when consequences were handed out, they stopped short of him.
From a legal standpoint, the explanation was straightforward. TMJ did not sign the eligibility documents. He did not submit files to FIFA. He did not hold a formal administrative role within FAM when the documentation was lodged. FIFA’s disciplinary system is designed to sanction associations, not influential figures operating outside official structures. From Zurich’s perspective, FAM alone fit the criteria for punishment.
Still, anyone who followed Malaysian football closely in 2024 and 2025 understood that authority did not always align neatly with job titles.
In many footballing environments, an individual who shapes strategy so decisively would be expected to share responsibility when that strategy collapses. In Malaysia, that expectation shifts the moment royalty enters the equation. TMJ is framed less as an executive actor and more as a patron—someone who guides and pushes, but does not formally decide. It is a subtle distinction, yet one that carries enormous weight when accountability is assigned.
That distinction also shaped how the story was told.
In the weeks following FIFA’s ruling in late September and October 2025, criticism of FAM was blunt and unrelenting. Questions of governance, compliance failures, and internal oversight dominated the conversation. Discussion of TMJ’s role, by contrast, was measured and indirect, often folded into broader debates about systems and structures rather than individual responsibility. Administrators understood the limits. Journalists understood the sensitivities. FAM itself had little incentive to redirect blame upward, knowing that admitting external influence could trigger further scrutiny from FIFA.
So responsibility settled where it most often does: with the institution least able to deflect it.
FIFA, meanwhile, showed no inclination to look beyond the association. Sanctioning FAM resolved the matter efficiently. Pursuing an influential royal figure would have taken the issue well beyond football, and FIFA has historically shown little appetite for that kind of confrontation. In this case, governance was about containment, not escalation.
This does not mean TMJ emerged entirely untouched in the court of public opinion. By late 2025, the naturalization project was already being discussed more cautiously, its ambition reframed as a gamble that failed. Among supporters, the sense that accountability flowed in only one direction was difficult to ignore. Yet experience suggests that controversies linked to powerful figures in Malaysian football tend to fade, remembered as failed experiments rather than personal reckonings.
What remains is the pattern.
Influence in Malaysian football often exists without liability. Ambition advances without consequence. When initiatives succeed, credit flows upward. When they collapse, responsibility falls downward. This scandal did not create that imbalance—it simply exposed it more clearly than most.
In the end, this was never just about seven players or documents submitted in March and June 2025 and re-examined months later. It was about how the system decides who must answer when ambition outruns governance.
And once again, the conclusion followed a familiar script.
FAM took the fall.
The architect carried on. - Football Tribe, 30/12/2025
Malaysian football in chaos after FIFA suspends national players from Argentina, Spain and Brazil
Five of the seven foreign-born players who have been suspended by FIFA. (AFP: Mohd Rasfan/ABC News Graphic: Jarrod Fankhauser)
In short:
Global football's governing body FIFA has found Malaysia "cheated" by forging documentation to improperly naturalise foreign players from South America and Europe.
While the international players' union says the seven players are "victims", FIFA has imposed a 12-month suspension on them.
What's next?
FIFA has lodged criminal complaints in five countries and launched its own investigation into the Football Association of Malaysia.
It has been a year of intense highs and bitter lows in football-mad Malaysia.
The men's national team, which has only qualified for four Asian Cup tournaments in its history, thrashed Vietnam 4-0 in a June qualifier for the region's top international competition.
"2027 Asian Cup, we're coming in style," a fan gushed on social media.
"This is our time," they declared.
Yet days after the victory, the sport's governing body FIFA received a formal complaint about several star players' eligibility to represent Malaysia.
Brazilian-born Joao Figueiredo, playing for Malaysia in June, has been suspended from football-related activities. (AP: Vincent Thian)
Many of those on the field were so-called "heritage players" — people ostensibly with Malaysian ancestry naturalised as citizens in order to represent the South-East Asian nation.
It soon emerged that five of the players who faced Vietnam had only been granted citizenship the week before kick off.
Another two had become Malaysians in the months prior.
'Cheating … pure and simple'
An investigation by FIFA found the men's grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but rather Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands.
The players whose family heritage was in question were Spanish-born Gabriel Palmera and Jon Irazabal; Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca born in Argentina; Brazil-born Joao Figueiredo; and Hector Hevel who was born in the Netherlands.
A table from FIFA's report shows where the footballers' grandparents were born in falsified versus original documentation. (ABC News: Jarrod Fankhauser)
FIFA alleged the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had "doctored" documents in order to field the players, who it concluded were the "ultimate beneficiaries" and "illegally, and successfully enjoyed the consequences".
All seven players were slapped with a 12-month suspension from football-related activities and individual fines of around $3,800.
FAM was ordered to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs ($663,000) to FIFA.
Aysha Ridzuan, a sport consultant who previously worked for FAM, said the win against Vietnam was "huge for the fans".
"[But] as fans, we would probably rather lose … than win like this — having players who are not supposed to play for us," she said.
Aysha Ridzuan says Malaysia fans want authorities to tell the truth. (Supplied)
The 63-page report released by FIFA's disciplinary committee was scathing.
"Presenting fraudulent documentation with the purpose of gaining eligibility to play for a national team constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating," it said.
"The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of football.
"Not only those governing a player's eligibility to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," FIFA concluded.
FIFA says the players involved in the naturalisation scandal were the "ultimate beneficiaries" of fraudulent conduct. (Reuters: Arnd Wiegmann, file)
FAM suspended its general secretary Noor Azman Rahman but blamed an "administrative error" and maintained the players were "legitimate Malaysian citizens".
Haresh Deol, a prominent football pundit and editor at local news outlet Twentytwo13, said it was "the biggest scandal in the country after 1Malaysia Development Berhad" — referring to the largest corruption case in Malaysian history.
"Many questions, especially those pertaining the so-called forged 'documents', remain unanswered to date," he said.
Union says players are 'victims'
The scandal's consequences for Malaysian football are expected to be painful and long-lasting.
"They'll probably miss out on qualification for the next Asia Cup," said Paul Williams, host of soccer podcast The Asian Game.
"Malaysia could also be banned from qualifying for the 2031 Asian Cup … which would be a huge blow to the football system in Malaysia."
The Football Association of Malaysia was fined more than $660,000 by FIFA. (Reuters: Samsul Said, file)
Local news outlets reported last month that the affected players were planning to sue FAM for millions in lost income due to the ban.
FAM will appeal FIFA's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"We feel someone should just come out and say the truth," Ms Ridzuan said.
FIFPRO, the international union for soccer players, this week declared that the 12-month sanctions imposed on the players were "grossly disproportionate".
"All steps were handled by institutions outside their control, yet they now face suspension from their clubs and the serious consequences that follow through no fault of their own," FIFPRO said in a statement.
"It is clear that the players are, in fact, victims in this matter."
Meanwhile, FIFA has lodged criminal complaints in five countries.
"It is imperative that the relevant authorities are informed so that appropriate criminal investigations and proceedings may be pursued," it said.
Malaysian journalist attacked
Deol, who is also deputy president of Malaysia's National Press Club, was last week allegedly assaulted by two men on the street in Kuala Lumpur while another filmed the incident.
Police continue to investigate and have suggested it was a case of mistaken identity.
Malaysian football pundit Haresh Deol says many questions about the naturalisation scandal remain unanswered. (Supplied)
But Deol told the ABC he believes the attack was intended to intimidate because of his publication of critical journalism about the naturalisation scandal.
"I've been in the industry for 25 years and I can't think of anything else for this attack but for my series of reporting and commentary on sports integrity and governance," he said.
In a forceful column published days before the alleged assault, Deol wrote that the country's football association had "failed" Malaysians.
"The system is compromised. Sport has been reduced to a personal playground," he said.
"The onus is now on Malaysians to speak up. The demand for integrity, accountability, and transparency must continue." - ABC, 6/12/2025
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