New FAM leadership apologises over players’ citizenship scandal
Ab Ghani Hassan, the president for the remainder of the 2025-2029 term, says such issues will not happen during his tenure.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has issued an apology to Malaysian football fans following a controversy surrounding forged documents involving seven heritage players, according to FAM president Ab Ghani Hassan. The new leadership at FAM acknowledged the seriousness of the matter and emphasized the need to strengthen procedures for player documentation and national team call-ups to prevent similar incidents.
The controversy erupted last year when FAM and seven naturalized Malaysian footballers were penalized by FIFA for submitting falsified birth certificates to confirm their eligibility for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam. FIFA found that the players used forged documents to claim that their grandmothers were born in Malaysia, despite them being born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
In addition to a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million) and a 12-month suspension, FIFA partially upheld the appeal filed by the seven players, ruling that the ban should only apply to official matches, not all football-related activities. The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed FAM's appeal over the fines, deeming them justified and proportionate to the offense.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
