The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) faces additional allegations concerning seven naturalized players.

The Independent Investigation Committee has found that FAM was responsible for numerous severe breaches related to the naturalization of players, highlighting major gaps in oversight, governance, and internal administrative processes.

Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) FAM continues to face a crisis of confidence after the Independent Investigation Committee (ICC), established by FAM itself, released findings on the case involving a group of naturalized players with "Malaysian bloodline." The report highlights numerous administrative errors, resulting in incomplete verification of the seven players’ documentation.

According to the ICC’s findings, led by former Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif, many documents proving the eligibility of these players were found to be unreliable, lacking sufficient supporting evidence. FAM’s internal audit mechanisms were also deemed weak, unable to detect violations before the files were submitted to FIFA.

Excerpt from the ICC report: “The committee was unable to precisely identify who forged the documents. The notary refused to cooperate, and representatives of the players could not be contacted despite efforts. What is clear is that FAM seriously failed in its oversight, inspection, and administrative control, allowing the issue to occur without timely detection or prevention.”

The ICC recommends that FAM immediately report the matter to authorities, discipline those involved internally, and undertake a comprehensive reform of its management system toward greater professionalism and transparency.

Previously, FIFA’s Appeals Committee rejected the appeals from FAM and the seven players: Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately 11.5 billion VND), while each player was fined 2,000 francs and banned from competition for 12 months.

FAM later announced it had submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to seek a reduction of the penalties. However, with the latest conclusions from the Independent Investigation Committee, public trust in FAM’s integrity is being severely challenged.