Malaysia investigation committee exposes serious failures in scandal involving 7 naturalized players

The 59-page report released on Tuesday detailed an investigation into the scandal that has rocked Malaysian football. The committee, led by former Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif, pointed out the weaknesses in FAM’s administrative management system, New Straits Times reported.

“The ICC could not conclusively determine who falsified the impugned documents,” read the ICC report. This is due to the fact that the certifying Notary Public did not cooperate and the seven players’ agents could not be located despite reasonable efforts.

“What is clear is the serious failures in oversight, due diligence and administrative control within FAM’s management permitted this incident to happen without detection or intervention.”

Despite these findings, the committee could not identify the individuals responsible for the actual forgery. The investigation was hampered by uncooperative notaries and the inability to locate representatives for the seven players.

The ICC has recommended FAM to file an immediate police report regarding the forgeries, conduct strict internal disciplinary measures and implement system reforms. These actions are deemed essential to prevent recurrence and restore the FAM’s reputation and integrity.

The investigation also pointed to Datuk Noor Azman Rahman, the FAM secretary general who was suspended on Oct. 17, as having been negligent. The ICC found that as the administrative manager, Rahman failed to thoroughly verify the documents before their submission to FIFA.

Previously, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee (FDC) found that FAM committed a serious violation of the international football principles by using forged or invalid documents in the registration files of seven players.

These players were featured in the victories of Malaysia against Nepal and Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers this year.

The seven players involved, Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Gabriel Palmero, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel, have been fined and received a 12-month ban from football activities. FAM was also hit with a record fine of 350,000 Swiss francs ($438,600).

After failing to overturn the decision via the FIFA Appeal Committee, FAM has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as the final legal avenue. The association is set to submit its detailed legal arguments to the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday.