EXCLUSIVE | The FIFA whisperer: Who told FAM not to go to CAS?

EXCLUSIVE | The FIFA whisperer: Who told FAM not to go to CAS?


14 Dec 2025 • 8:00 AM MYT



Citizen Nades
A legally qualified journalist and a good governance champion

Image Credit: Citizen Nades


OPINION: Many of our foreign missions run their own social media accounts, posting notices and updates for Malaysians abroad. Some heads of mission even chronicle their daily movements, on and off duty, and almost all post details of visitors to their respective offices.


This week, one such update from the Malaysian Embassy in Washington, D.C. set tongues wagging.


A Facebook post showed Ambassador Shahrul Ikram hosting a Dec 5 networking dinner at Rumah Malaysia for a visiting Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) delegation led by its president, Hamidin Haji Mohd Amin. Also present were deputy president Sivasundaram Sithamparam Pillai and vice president Saaran Nadarajah.


Sivasundram, if readers may recall, chaired a media conference on Oct 17 where he announced the suspension of the FAM secretary general and stumbled in addressing the issues regarding seven foreign players contracted to play for Haimau Malaya.


What were the trio doing 15,400km away? They were guests of FIFA in the U.S. capital for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw at the Kennedy Center.


Before anyone jumps to conclusions: no, taxpayers did not fund this all-expenses-paid trip, per diem included.


This is part of a long-standing FIFA practice -- dating back to the Sepp “Septic” Blatter era -- of “rewarding” council members and affiliate presidents with invitations to major events, including the World Cup itself.


(The late) Andrew Jennings, author of Foul and the journalist who investigated the wrongdoings and helped the FBI bring down Blatter and several top corrupt officials, repeatedly argued that such perks were designed to buy loyalty and secure another term in office.


That’s why countries that didn’t even qualify were invited to the party – just come, enjoy yourself, collect the goodies, and remember whom to vote for the next time around. draw


Current president Gianni Infantino appears intent on maintaining this tradition, lest affiliates complain they “missed the party and the goodies.”


Yet Infantino now faces a complaint for breaching FIFA’s rules on political neutrality. At the Washington event, he awarded U.S. President Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize and has since posted interviews and social media content supportive of the 79-year-old leader.


Back home, however, a far more serious allegation surfaced. Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim claimed that an individual within FIFA had urged FAM not to take the documentation dispute involving seven heritage players to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the case of false and forged documents submitted on behalf of seven players.


(The seven foreign-born footballers -- Gabriel Arrocha, Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel, Joao Vitor) were sanctioned by FIFA in September for eligibility issues, after FAM submitted doctored birth certificates to claim they qualified for the national team through ancestry, despite being born abroad. This led to fines for FAM and suspensions for the players, causing significant controversy and image damage for Malaysian football.)


During a session with JDT supporters, Tungku Ismail said the advice was conveyed directly to Hamidin.


“You can ask Hamidin himself. There was someone from FIFA who told him not to bring this matter to CAS. It is very strange, and I do not know why they said not to go to CAS.


“He did not exactly stop us. He said, if possible, do not go. But there was also a threat that there would be a suspension if we were to go to CAS, and something even worse would be done. We will go -- whether we win or lose, we do not know.”


So who is this individual? And where did this exchange take place?


The only plausible setting is Washington, where FIFA rolled out the red carpet and created ample opportunities for officials to rub shoulders with the who’s who of the world football. No FIFA official has visited Malaysia recently, and no FAM official has travelled to Switzerland.


If such a threat was indeed made, FAM must reveal the name of the individual involved. An issue this serious cannot rest on vague phrases like “there was an individual.” Hamidin must identify the person and the position he or she holds within FIFA.


Surely the words of a clerical staffer -- which FAM initially floated as a deflection in its own defence -- cannot be taken seriously. Nor can the musings of the cleaner at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters.


By refusing to disclose the relevant information, the allegation remains just that: a claim, not even a coherent narrative. At best, it is hearsay; at worst, the longest yarn ever spun.


The writer has sought and is awaiting a response from FIFA.