KUALA LUMPUR – Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) owner, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, has accused certain FIFA officials of attempting to prevent the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) from pursuing an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In a recent session with JDT supporters in Johor Bahru, Tunku Ismail revealed that the warning was allegedly delivered to FAM’s honorary president, Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin, urging him not to escalate the matter to CAS, local media reported.
“They didn’t want us to bring it to CAS. They personally told Hamidin not to take it there,” he said.
“I’m not sure if they were scared or not, but you can ask Tan Sri Hamidin yourself. They even threatened that if we did go to CAS, there would be suspensions or harsher penalties.”
Tunku Ismail strongly condemned these actions, emphasising that any effort to block FAM’s pursuit of justice could seriously harm the interests of Malaysian football.
The case centres around seven naturalised players of the national team, Harimau Malaya, whose eligibility was questioned after allegations of document falsification. FIFA imposed sanctions on both FAM and the players, including fines and 12-month suspensions, after determining that falsified documents had been submitted to confirm the players’ eligibility for Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam.
FAM officially filed its appeal to CAS on December 8, 2025, and the acting president, Yusoff Mahadi, confirmed that CAS has given FAM’s legal team until December 18 to submit their full written arguments.
This latest development follows FIFA’s rejection of FAM’s previous appeal on November 3, when the world football body upheld its decision to fine FAM CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million) and penalise the seven players with a CHF2,000 fine (RM10,560) each, along with a one-year suspension from all football-related activities.
The seven players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.
Tunku Ismail’s comments have brought fresh attention to the high-stakes nature of this case, as FAM seeks to protect both its reputation and the rights of the players affected. – December 10, 2025