KUALA LUMPUR – The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has dismissed FIFA’s characterisation of events surrounding the “heritage players” controversy, asserting that the world body’s description was “not accurate” and that an official appeal is being prepared.
In a statement today, FAM said that allegations suggesting the players “obtained or were aware of false documents” were “baseless” as no concrete evidence had been presented to substantiate the claim.
“The depiction given in FIFA’s decision is inaccurate. The allegation that players had obtained or knew about false documents is unfounded, as there is no solid evidence provided so far,” FAM said.
The national football body reiterated that all players in question are “legitimate Malaysian citizens”.
It explained that the controversy arose from a wrong submission, describing it as an administrative error in which a staff member “mistakenly uploaded documents from an agent instead of official ones issued by the National Registration Department (JPN)”.
“The mistake was purely administrative,” FAM said.
“An official appeal is being prepared using the original, authentic documents certified by the Malaysian Government.”
FAM added that it remains committed to defending the integrity of Malaysian football “based on facts and verified documents”, stressing that the association will file a formal appeal against FIFA’s conclusions.
The world football governing body had earlier released a detailed judgment outlining how falsified ancestry documents were used to register seven players under Malaysia’s “heritage player” programme – a revelation that has triggered public backlash and calls for accountability within FAM.
Earlier, FIFA concluded that both FAM and the players had violated Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which pertains to the falsification and use of forged documents in official proceedings.
As a result, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8 million), while each player received a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities and a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs (RM11,000). – October 7, 2025