Even the heavens cried soon after the FA of Malaysia (FAM) addressed members of the media at its headquarters in Kelana Jaya, Selangor. Perhaps it was the manner in which its officials thought they could escape scrutiny by simply reading the chronology of events, defining roles, and paying homage to the Regent of Johor.
Yet, it left the 50-odd journalists in the hall at Wisma FAM, and the many fans watching live, even more confused than before. In fact, more questions have since surfaced following this afternoon’s revelations – exactly three weeks after Fifa slapped FAM and seven players with sanctions for allegedly submitting ‘doctored documentation’ before the June 10 Asian Cup qualifying match against Vietnam. Malaysia won that match 4-0.
The seven players fined and handed 12-month bans are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
Some information shared at the press conference raised eyebrows. FAM deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundram, who was forced to face the packed hall just three days shy of Deepavali, said an application for the seven players to get their MyKads was made in January 2025, and that they received their cards in May 2025 – a period of about four months.
He also said the complainant was an individual from Vietnam. But when pressed later if that was a fact or an assumption, he quickly clarified that the complainant was “believed to be from Vietnam.”
There was no forthcoming answer as to why FAM has yet to provide proof of the players’ heritage.
Sivasundram added that FAM general-secretary Datuk Noor Azman Rahman has been suspended effective today, and that an independent committee will be set up to probe the series of events – including the so-called “technical error” that led to the drama now making international headlines. However, he did not name the members of the committee.
Taking his cue from national coach Peter Cklamovski, national team chief executive officer Rob Friend went on to wax lyrical about Tunku Ismail Ibrahim. Facing the media for the first time since the controversy broke, Friend hailed Tunku Ismail as a “visionary” and dismissed allegations that the Johor royal had anything to do with the fiasco.
Tunku Ismail, the owner of Malaysia’s most successful football club Johor Darul Ta’zim, was among the first to voice his dissatisfaction over Fifa’s decision.
Friend outlined the roles of his “world-class staff” – including their work on strategies for Harimau Malaya, performance, and technical support. He also referred to “three entities”: the national body, the national team, and TMJ (Tunku Ismail) – before later clarifying that there was only one body, FAM.
He revealed that FAM had been informed of Fifa’s investigations on Aug 22 – over a month before the sanctions were made public – and that he had since travelled to Zurich and Miami to work with Fifa and understand what had happened. It remains unclear why neither Friend nor the national body addressed the matter earlier.
Despite being asked repeatedly, neither Friend nor Sivasundram named the agent or individual responsible for identifying the players supposedly linked to Malaysia.
Fifa said it had traced the original documents of the seven footballers and found no links to Malaysia as claimed. The revelation has sparked uproar among Malaysians, including Members of Parliament, at a time when the issuance of citizenship remains a sensitive issue. Stateless individuals born in the country continue to wait years for recognition, and the incident has also drawn public attention to the Home Ministry and National Registration Department (NRD).
FAM has submitted an appeal against Fifa’s decision, and the world body is expected to reply on Oct 30, 2025.
FAM’s appointed legal counsel, Serge Vittoz – a sports lawyer and advisor based in Geneva – appeared caught off guard when asked if he was in Malaysia on a work permit or tourist visa. He insisted he was in the country to provide “advice”.
Vittoz said FAM is appealing the sanctions as they were not the national body’s “direct fault”.
