Top official urges FAM to keep fighting against FIFA’s sanctions

25/10/2025 20:57:00 GoalGuru

The Johor Regent, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, advises the Football Association of Malaysia to persist in contesting the penalties

On the afternoon of October 25, the Football Association of Malaysia held a press conference to provide updates regarding the sanctions on seven naturalized players. At the event, Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Ismail—who is also the key figure behind Malaysia’s naturalization policy—stated that Malaysia must be prepared to accept any decision FIFA makes concerning the status of the seven national footballers currently under investigation, while emphasizing that the country should continue to defend its rights.

Tunku Ismail, owner of the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) football club, expressed his belief that all seven foreign-born Harimau Malaya players have legitimate documents proving their ties to Malaysia, though he doubts FIFA will overturn its ruling.

Harimau-Malaya-players-documents-are-legitimate-TMJ — Tunku Mahkota Ismail encourages FAM to keep appealing to FIFA (Photo: The Sun)

“Yes, that is my opinion. FAM is still fighting to represent the country on behalf of these seven players because all their paperwork has been fully authorized by the government. I believe there was a technical issue, possibly an administrative error during the submission process. But in terms of legality and integrity, they are Malaysians,” he asserted.

Tunku Ismail also urged Malaysian fans not to doubt the origins of the seven naturalized players: “This is our sovereignty and diversity, and we should not question that.”

“I don’t think the players forged any documents. They are unaware of these matters. The law is the law, and we must respect it, but if we believe we are right and have valid documents, we must continue to fight through proper legal channels, even up to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if necessary,” affirmed Tunku Mahkota Ismail.

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