Forgery, fraud, and football: FAM has shamed the nation

FMT:

Forgery, fraud, and football: FAM has shamed the nation


Those who forged Malaysia’s football disgrace must quit — or be driven out by the country they betrayed

Forgery and fraud have poisoned Malaysian football — and the stench now hangs over the entire country.

Forgery, fraud and football: three words that should never belong in the same breath, yet under the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), they now define our game.


FIFA has ruled that falsified documents were used to naturalise seven players for an Asian Cup qualifier, a betrayal so grave it has left Malaysia fined RM1.9 million.

The punishment is crushing: seven players banned worldwide for 12 months, and our football dragged into global disgrace.


But the real punishment is the dishonour. Malaysia, once a proud football nation, has been dragged through the mud by the very people entrusted to lift it.

The fury is not confined to social media — it is national, visceral, and unforgiving.

Malaysians feel deceived and demeaned. They see deception dressed up as football, pride traded for shortcuts.

The country’s reputation has been burned for the selfish gain of officials who thought they could outwit FIFA.


What was celebrated as a 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the Asian Cup tie is now remembered as fraud in boots.

That night of jubilation has curdled into humiliation, proof that under FAM, even glory is counterfeit.

Forged papers to sneak players into national colours is not a clerical error. It is calculated deceit. It spits on the sweat of generations who fought honestly for the jersey.

And the insult runs deeper. Malaysians will now foot the bill for FAM’s dishonesty.


Taxpayers already bankroll stadiums, academies, and the very officials who orchestrated this scam — and now they are punished again with a hefty fine.

This is not mere negligence; it is criminal dishonesty funded by the public purse.

The comparison with East Timor is unavoidable. That tiny nation was thrown out of the Asian Cup for faking birth certificates to field Brazilians.

Today, Malaysia sits in the same dock of infamy. Once, we laughed at others for bending rules. Now the joke is on us.

And it could get worse. AFC general-secretary Windsor John says his body is awaiting the FIFA tribunal’s verdict on player eligibility before acting.

That means Malaysia could yet be kicked out of the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, a tournament this country has long dreamed of.

If that hammer falls, the humiliation will not stop at FAM. It will once again expose Malaysia before the world.

The rot of shortcuts

This scandal did not erupt overnight. It is the rotten fruit of a culture that worships shortcuts.

Instead of building academies, nurturing coaches, and investing in young Malaysians, FAM built its fortunes on importing talent and gaming the system.

Nine of the starting eleven against Vietnam were naturalised players. Five were cleared only hours before kick-off. Now FIFA confirms those clearances were secured with lies.

This is not just about eligibility rules. It is about an association that abandoned its duty to develop the sport.

FAM faked Malaysians. They manufactured paperwork, not players.

They forged documents when they should have forged champions. And in doing so, they broke the trust of an entire nation.

Fans, former players, and commentators are united in rage.

They see this not as a mistake but as cheating — not just against opponents, but against Malaysians who packed stadiums, believed in a revival, and wore the Harimau Malaya jersey with pride.

This scandal proves what Malaysians have long suspected: that FAM is rotten to the core.

Not merely incompetent but dishonest, it gambled with Malaysia’s reputation — and lost.

No more timidity at the top

FAM issued its statement last night, insisting that it acted “with good intentions and full transparency,” claiming FIFA had earlier cleared the players and vowing to appeal through “all available legal channels.”

But Malaysians are not fools. Transparency does not end in phony papers. Integrity is not measured by excuses. And an appeal does not erase deceit.

FAM says it will “continue to defend the integrity of the country’s football.” The irony is suffocating: you cannot defend what you have already destroyed.

This is not a moment for press releases. It is a moment for resignations.

Every member of the FAM board must quit — not next month, not after an inquiry, but now.

This rot is institutional, not individual. No scapegoat will suffice.

If they refuse, then Malaysians must force them out through every legitimate means available — from grassroots clubs to state associations to public protest. Sponsors must pull out.

The youth and sports minister and the sports commissioner cannot remain timid. They are guardians of integrity, not bystanders to scandal.

If they do not act decisively by disbanding this disgraced leadership, installing an independent inquiry, and safeguarding public funds, then they are complicit in the cover-up.

Anti-corruption is not a slogan; it is a duty, and football has now become its biggest test.

This is a moment of reckoning. If the guilty remain, Malaysia will become a laughing stock — or worse, not at all.

Trust between Malaysians and their national game has been shattered. It can only be rebuilt if the guilty are stripped of power and accountability is enforced without fear or favour.

Forgery in boots is not football. It is a crime against the game and against the nation.

If nothing changes, then Malaysian football deserves its decline. But if Malaysians rise, cut out the rot, and rebuild from the grassroots, there is still hope.

The whistle has blown. There is no extra time. FAM bosses must go — or be driven out.




Nine of Harimau Malaya’s starting eleven in their 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam in June were naturalised players. (Bernama pic)

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Hannah, do your job