OPINION | Ultras Malaya is absolutely right: The Seven Naturalised Players’ Citizenship Must Be Immediately Revoked!
12 Mar 2026 • 3:00 PM MYT
TheRealNehruism
An award-winning Newswav creator, Bebas News columnist & ex-FMT columnist
Image credit: SNE Sport
At this stage, the facts are as clear as daylight. The seven naturalised players caught in Malaysia’s football eligibility scandal are not Malaysians in any meaningful sense. Their connection to the country exists only on paper — and even that paper has now been exposed as fraudulent.
The recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed what many football observers already suspected: falsified documents were used in the process that allowed these foreign-born players to represent Malaysia. The ruling also upheld sanctions after it was established that the eligibility documents submitted were invalid or forged.
Those seven players — Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, and Hector Hevel — were part of Malaysia’s national squad and even played in crucial matches during the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. But the ruling has now cast a dark shadow over those victories and over the integrity of Malaysian football itself.
While FAM admitted to "institutional shortcomings" during the CAS hearing, it also argued the players had a limited role in providing the documents. The 7 players also requested leniency, claiming their actions were not intentional. However, these appeals were dismissed.
In other words, this is not merely a sporting controversy. It is a national embarrassment.
For a country that takes pride in its sovereignty and citizenship laws, the idea that passports could be issued under questionable circumstances should alarm every Malaysian. Citizenship is not a football tactic. It is not a strategy to strengthen a squad ahead of a major tournament. It is a legal and moral bond between a person and a nation.
If that bond was created through fraud, then it cannot be allowed to stand.
This is precisely why the reaction from the supporters’ group Ultras Malaya deserves attention. The group has publicly demanded that the citizenship of the seven players be revoked. On social media, they highlighted the section of the CAS ruling that confirmed the falsification of documents and called for the government to officially acknowledge the wrongdoing.
Their demand is not extreme. It is not radical. It is simply the minimum that justice requires.
If forged documents were used to secure eligibility for international football, then the obvious question follows: were those same documents used in the citizenship process itself? If so, the citizenship granted on that basis cannot be legitimate.
In any country governed by law, fraud invalidates the outcome it produces. A fraudulent contract is void. A fraudulent license is revoked. A fraudulent passport should be no different.
Yet despite the overwhelming evidence, the citizenship of these seven players remains intact. That raises an uncomfortable question: what exactly are the authorities waiting for?
The case has already been examined by international sporting bodies. FIFA’s disciplinary committee found violations of its rules, and CAS upheld the key findings after the appeals were heard. The evidence regarding falsified documentation has therefore been independently confirmed at the highest levels of international sports arbitration.
There is no ambiguity left.
And yet the response from our nstitutions responsible for citizenship has been cautious, hesitant, and slow.
Some may argue that the matter is complicated. Others may insist that legal procedures must be followed. But none of these explanations change the central issue: if citizenship was obtained through fraud, it must be revoked.
Allowing it to remain in place sends a dangerous message — that the passage of time can somehow transform wrongdoing into legitimacy.
Are we waiting for the scandal to fade from public attention? Are we hoping that if enough months pass, people will simply forget? Or worse, are we expecting that time itself will magically turn something wrong into something right?
Fraud does not become lawful because it grows old.
If anything, delaying action only deepens the damage. It erodes public confidence in institutions and raises doubts about how citizenship decisions are made. Malaysians will inevitably wonder whether the process is truly governed by law or by convenience.
The consequences also extend beyond football. Malaysia’s reputation in international sport has already suffered. The possibility that results in the Asian Cup qualifiers could be overturned only adds to the humiliation.
But the real issue is not the scoreboard. It is credibility.
A country’s passport represents the authority of the state. When that passport is granted under questionable circumstances, the integrity of the entire system comes into question.
This is why the demand made by fans is both reasonable and necessary. Before discussing rebuilding the national team, before talking about future tournaments, before planning reforms in football governance — the basic issue of citizenship must be addressed.
Anything less would be a refusal to confront the truth.
Revoking the citizenship of the seven players would not erase the scandal. But it would demonstrate that Malaysia takes the integrity of its laws seriously. It would show that citizenship cannot be obtained through deception, whether the goal is football success or anything else.
Most importantly, it would send a clear message: fraud will not be legitimised simply because time has passed.
The scandal has already exposed a serious failure in the system. The only question now is whether the authorities have the courage to correct it.
Because if the evidence is already clear — and it is — then the next step should be obvious.
The citizenship of those seven players must be revoked.
At this stage, the facts are as clear as daylight. The seven naturalised players caught in Malaysia’s football eligibility scandal are not Malaysians in any meaningful sense. Their connection to the country exists only on paper — and even that paper has now been exposed as fraudulent.
The recent ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed what many football observers already suspected: falsified documents were used in the process that allowed these foreign-born players to represent Malaysia. The ruling also upheld sanctions after it was established that the eligibility documents submitted were invalid or forged.
Those seven players — Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, and Hector Hevel — were part of Malaysia’s national squad and even played in crucial matches during the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. But the ruling has now cast a dark shadow over those victories and over the integrity of Malaysian football itself.
While FAM admitted to "institutional shortcomings" during the CAS hearing, it also argued the players had a limited role in providing the documents. The 7 players also requested leniency, claiming their actions were not intentional. However, these appeals were dismissed.
In other words, this is not merely a sporting controversy. It is a national embarrassment.
For a country that takes pride in its sovereignty and citizenship laws, the idea that passports could be issued under questionable circumstances should alarm every Malaysian. Citizenship is not a football tactic. It is not a strategy to strengthen a squad ahead of a major tournament. It is a legal and moral bond between a person and a nation.
If that bond was created through fraud, then it cannot be allowed to stand.
This is precisely why the reaction from the supporters’ group Ultras Malaya deserves attention. The group has publicly demanded that the citizenship of the seven players be revoked. On social media, they highlighted the section of the CAS ruling that confirmed the falsification of documents and called for the government to officially acknowledge the wrongdoing.
Their demand is not extreme. It is not radical. It is simply the minimum that justice requires.
If forged documents were used to secure eligibility for international football, then the obvious question follows: were those same documents used in the citizenship process itself? If so, the citizenship granted on that basis cannot be legitimate.
In any country governed by law, fraud invalidates the outcome it produces. A fraudulent contract is void. A fraudulent license is revoked. A fraudulent passport should be no different.
Yet despite the overwhelming evidence, the citizenship of these seven players remains intact. That raises an uncomfortable question: what exactly are the authorities waiting for?
The case has already been examined by international sporting bodies. FIFA’s disciplinary committee found violations of its rules, and CAS upheld the key findings after the appeals were heard. The evidence regarding falsified documentation has therefore been independently confirmed at the highest levels of international sports arbitration.
There is no ambiguity left.
And yet the response from our nstitutions responsible for citizenship has been cautious, hesitant, and slow.
Some may argue that the matter is complicated. Others may insist that legal procedures must be followed. But none of these explanations change the central issue: if citizenship was obtained through fraud, it must be revoked.
Allowing it to remain in place sends a dangerous message — that the passage of time can somehow transform wrongdoing into legitimacy.
Are we waiting for the scandal to fade from public attention? Are we hoping that if enough months pass, people will simply forget? Or worse, are we expecting that time itself will magically turn something wrong into something right?
Fraud does not become lawful because it grows old.
If anything, delaying action only deepens the damage. It erodes public confidence in institutions and raises doubts about how citizenship decisions are made. Malaysians will inevitably wonder whether the process is truly governed by law or by convenience.
The consequences also extend beyond football. Malaysia’s reputation in international sport has already suffered. The possibility that results in the Asian Cup qualifiers could be overturned only adds to the humiliation.
But the real issue is not the scoreboard. It is credibility.
A country’s passport represents the authority of the state. When that passport is granted under questionable circumstances, the integrity of the entire system comes into question.
This is why the demand made by fans is both reasonable and necessary. Before discussing rebuilding the national team, before talking about future tournaments, before planning reforms in football governance — the basic issue of citizenship must be addressed.
Anything less would be a refusal to confront the truth.
Revoking the citizenship of the seven players would not erase the scandal. But it would demonstrate that Malaysia takes the integrity of its laws seriously. It would show that citizenship cannot be obtained through deception, whether the goal is football success or anything else.
Most importantly, it would send a clear message: fraud will not be legitimised simply because time has passed.
The scandal has already exposed a serious failure in the system. The only question now is whether the authorities have the courage to correct it.
Because if the evidence is already clear — and it is — then the next step should be obvious.
The citizenship of those seven players must be revoked.
***
FAM terrified of Big Bad Mountain
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