The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) still cannot clarify the origins of 7 naturalized players.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is under intense scrutiny following FIFA’s inquiry into the background and legitimacy of the naturalization documents of seven players on Malaysia’s national squad.

At a press conference held today (October 17) at the Wisma FAM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, FAM Vice President Datuk S. Sivasundaram admitted that the organization has yet to provide a definitive answer regarding the lineage of these players.

“You are certainly wondering why we have not been able to prove that their grandparents or ancestors are Malaysian,” said Mr. Sivasundaram. “We cannot make any statements at this moment. Let the investigation run its course. Meanwhile, FAM has established an independent committee to clarify all aspects of this matter,” he added.

According to FIFA’s preliminary investigation, the grandparents or great-grandparents of these seven naturalized players were not born in Malaysia but in other countries. This means they do not meet FIFA’s nationality and ancestry criteria to represent the national team. The players named include Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

Previously, FAM submitted documents claiming that the grandparents of these seven players were born in areas such as Melaka, Penang, George Town, Johor, Kuching, and the waters of the Malacca Strait. However, FIFA discovered multiple forged documents related to the players’ naturalization process.

FIFA fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs, approximately 11 billion VND, for falsifying and manipulating naturalization records. The seven players involved were banned from competition for one year and fined 2,000 Swiss francs each. Notably, FAM has also temporarily suspended Secretary-General Datuk Noor Azman Rahman,who is believed to be responsible for signing and validating the fraudulent documents during the naturalization process.

Beyond financial penalties, Malaysia risks forfeiting numerous matches in which these players participated, including Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. If FIFA confirms the use of illegally naturalized players in these games, Malaysia could lose all points and face bans from international competitions in the near future.

This incident has shaken Malaysian football profoundly, placing immense pressure on FAM from domestic public opinion. Regional media regard this as possibly the most serious naturalization scandal in Southeast Asian football history, severely damaging Malaysia’s reputation and image internationally.