Malaysian journalist: FAM's reputation shattered by using forged documents to appeal, FIFA wins completely

Malaysian journalist Nadeswaran criticized FAM (Malaysian Football Association) following CAS's ruling.

The final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding the seven Malaysian national team players and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has been issued. CAS decided to partially reduce the penalties for the seven players, but upheld the fine of approximately 1.8 million ringgit that FAM must pay due to involvement in document forgery.

After this decision, the focus of the case shifts to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which will determine the fate of FAM and the Malaysian national team. It is highly likely that the Vietnam national team will be awarded a win for the match against Malaysia in June 2025, as Malaysia used seven illegally naturalized players in that match.

On Malaysiakini, journalist Nadeswaran published an article titled: "The final whistle: FAM's reputation shattered after defeat in sports court".

Journalist Nadeswaran believes FAM cheated, forging records for the seven naturalized players in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, not merely committing a technical error.

"FAM defended itself by claiming this was merely a 'technical error' by the administrative department. The acting president at that time, Yusoff Mahadi, emphasized that all documents and procedures were submitted transparently according to guidelines.

However, the language used by the committee was sufficiently severe for Takiyuddin Hassan, head of the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional's parliamentary group, to assert that this scandal far exceeded 'ordinary administrative mistakes': 'This is not a technical error, but deliberate fraud,' journalist Nadeswaran wrote.

Despite that, FAM still declared innocence and appealed. However, the appeal was again rejected by FIFA's Appeals Committee, which reaffirmed the stern conclusions of FIFA's Disciplinary Committee, pushing Malaysian football administrators to the bottom and confirming that 'the Malaysian Football Association used forged documents.'

Journalist Nadeswaran continued: "Former Deputy Minister of Justice Hanipa Maidin stated that if he were the lawyer representing FAM, his advice would be simple: do not waste time or money continuing to challenge this decision regarding the players of 'foreign origin.'

He made this assessment after reading the entire written ruling of the Appeals Committee, a detailed 64-page document with 304 paragraphs. So what did FAM have to convince CAS to overturn FIFA's ruling? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Journalist Nadeswaran described FAM bringing the case to CAS: "The birth certificates of the players' grandparents presented by FAM were all forged. CAS had access to the originals, and FAM would only be left with humiliation, not honor. The final curtain has fallen, and there will be no triumphant encore. FAM entered the battle not with truth, but with fabricated lies. And now, the war they declared has ended not in victory, but in ridicule."

He continued: "CAS was not convinced by the altered documents, and when the originals emerged, FAM was exposed to the world: embarrassed, stripped of dignity, reputation shattered. This is not football management; it is an absurd play, staged by those who confuse forgery with strategy."

"Therefore, the ruling resonates louder than any whistle on the pitch: Malaysia's football crisis lies not in talent, but in truth. And truth, unlike forged papers, cannot be hidden in a drawer.

It will expose, it will shame, and it will demand accountability. The battle FAM chose to fight has been lost, not on the football field, but in the court of integrity. In tennis terms: FIFA won the game, the set, and the match," journalist Nadeswaran concluded.