Whatever the excuses, Malaysia is shamed to the rest of the world!

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Whatever the excuses, Malaysia is shamed to the rest of the world!

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2, 2025: While FIFA ( Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has shamed FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) and Malaysia’s citizenship policy, Malaysians have started questioning the due and fair process of granting citizenship.

They are asking why foreign footballers could get citizenship so easily, while the approval process is ridiculously difficult and hopelessly slow for stateless Malaysians who were born in the country to at least one Malaysian parent.

While FIFA’s year-long ban on Malaysian footballers is another matter, it is certainly an international disgrace.

And FAM has acknowledged a “technical error” in submitting documents for seven naturalised players who were suspended by world football governing body FIFA last Friday (Sept 26), but insisted they are legitimate citizens.

Technical error? Is that an excuse for shaming rakyat dan negara (people and country) to the rest of the world?

FIFA said last Friday that FAM was found to have falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to play in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10. Malaysia beat Vietnam 4-0, and FIFA received a complaint about several players’ eligibility after the match.

And, lawyers have questioned the legality of the naturalisation process that saw seven foreign-born footballers from Argentina, Brazil and Spain granted Malaysian citizenship

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HOW COME FAM’s INTERESTS HAVE PRIORITY TO EVEN BEND MALAYSIA’s INMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP LAWS?

How come FAM has so much influence to manipulate laws of our country to allow FOREIGNERS, whose only skill is to play football, to become Malaysian citizens SO EASILY?

NOTE:

Three of the seven foreign players ( Malaysians label them as “ INSTANT-NOODLE MALAYSIAN CITIZENS”) who were suspended because of FIFA’s decision to penalise FAM:

- Hector Hevel,

-Jon Irazabal and

-Joao Figueiredo

Play for JOHOR DARUK TA’ZIM (JDT) ie the Southern Tiger.

 

 

 

A human rights lawyer has questioned the legality of the naturalisation process that saw seven foreign-born footballers from Argentina, Brazil and Spain granted Malaysian citizenship.

Eric Paulsen claimed that Home Minister Safuddin Nasution Ismail's recent justification that the players were eligible under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution because of ancestral links to Malaysia does not stand up to scrutiny.

"The home minister claimed that the seven so-called heritage players were naturalised properly via Article 19 of the Federal Constitution.

"He further explained that under this provision, those who are connected to the country through ‘their family lineage, whether through their father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, or ancestors… with a connection, having lived there… originating from Malaysia’."  - KiniTV

And this is what veteran Sarawakian journalist Francis Paul Siah has to say:

LET ME SAY THIS AS A FOOTBALL FAN:

No matter how FAM tries to justify its decision of fielding the seven foreign-born players, I will have difficulty in accepting ‘non-Malaysians’ to play for my country.

I would still love to have players named Mokhtar, Chin Aun, Abdullah, Arumugam and Santokh in our national team rather than those from Europe or Latin America, just because of their distant Malaysian link.

In Sabah and Sarawak, we still remember and honour James Wong, Hasan Sani, James Yakub and Jahar Nor, our football stars of yesteryears.

There will be no joy or pride in me even if Malaysia were to win the World Cup with foreign-born players. – fs

 

Malaysia’s football association admits ‘technical error’ in document submission for 7 naturalised players banned by FIFA

But the players are legitimate citizens of Malaysia, the association maintained. Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail have also weighed in on the ban, which has made waves in the football-mad country.

 

 

Malaysian players after their 4-0 victory against Vietnam in the AFC Asian Cup qualifier game at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Jun 10, 2025. (Photo: Instagram/@h.serrano13)

29 Sep 2025 03:41PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has acknowledged a “technical error” in submitting documents for seven naturalised players who were suspended by world football governing body FIFA last Friday (Sep 26), but insisted they are legitimate citizens.

FIFA’s year-long ban on the players has made waves in the football-mad country, with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim among the public figures who have weighed in on the issue. 

FIFA said last Friday that FAM was found to have falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to play in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on Jun 10. Malaysia beat Vietnam 4-0, and FIFA received a complaint about several players’ eligibility after the match.

The seven players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano. 

Besides suspending them for 12 months from all football-related activities, FIFA fined each player CHF2,000 (RM10,560) and the FAM CHF350,000 (RM1.8 million).

In a statement on Facebook on Sunday, Noor Azman Rahman, secretary-general of the Malaysian football association, said it is awaiting the full judgment from FIFA before filing an appeal in accordance with the existing legal process. 

“FAM takes this matter seriously. However, FAM would like to emphasise that the heritage players involved are legitimate Malaysian citizens,” said Noor Azman.

Malaysia's players pose before the start of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier between Malaysia and Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Jun 10, 2025. (File photo: AFP/Mohd Rasfan)

Sports minister Hannah Yeoh on Saturday urged all parties to allow FAM to complete its appeal against the players’ ban, which she described as a “current priority” until the issue is fully resolved. 

“The impact of this matter does not only involve the seven players but also our entire national team,” she was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

“Just like the many thousands of Harimau Malaya fans out there, I too am saddened and angry reading about FIFA’s decision,” Yeoh added, using the moniker, which means Malayan Tigers, for the Malaysian national football team. 

She expressed her commitment to protect the rights and welfare of every Malaysian athlete regardless of the sport. 

“Let’s not jump the gun and allow the appeal process to be completed and then we take it from there,” she said.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Saturday the process of granting citizenship to the seven players had complied with the Federal Constitution.

The granting of citizenship through naturalisation is provided for under Article 19(1) of the Constitution and involves a strict vetting process before any decision is made, he said, as reported by the New Straits Times (NST).

“A naturalisation case refers to a situation where an applicant, through their family lineage - whether father, mother, grandmother or ancestors - has ties or origins from Malaysia,” Saifuddin said, as quoted by NST.

Describing it as a “very thorough” process, he said his ministry examines all documents submitted to ensure they meet every requirement under the law. 

Saifuddin also clarified the decision is under the purview of FIFA and FAM, and that the Home Ministry’s focus is “strictly on citizenship matters”. 

Johor’s regent Tunku Ismail and Malaysia’s former sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin, meanwhile, questioned who had lodged the complaint and why FIFA reversed its earlier decision.

“FIFA has already approved (the naturalisation) before, so why has the decision changed now?,” Tunku Ismail said in a post on X on Saturday.