Fifa S Message To Govt Don T Stay Out Come In

---

 


 On Thursday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh told Parliament why she cannot legally interfere with the affairs of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Her caution and impassioned plea were simple: Don’t incur the wrath of the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa), which forbids government meddling in national football bodies.
Rejecting calls for ministry action over the scandal of seven naturalised players, Yeoh leaned on Fifa’s non-interference rule.
She cited precedents - Indonesia suspended in 2015, Zimbabwe in 2022, Chad expelled from the Africa Cup of Nations, Benin and Brunei sidelined - all punished for government intrusion.
But when laws are broken, especially bordering on criminality, there are no borders.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah YeohMalaysia’s case is starkly different. There was an admission of guilt – FAM acknowledged it had messed around with birth certificates, changing players’ grandparents’ birthplaces to Malaysia to meet Fifa’s “grandfather rule”.
Original records, as Fifa subsequently discovered through its own investigations from Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands, told another story. In short: forgery.
Fifa’s Appeals Committee did not mince words. In its published decision, it ordered the Disciplinary Committee to notify criminal authorities in Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Spain.
“Forgery constitutes a criminal offence in these jurisdictions,” it said, stressing the falsifications were deliberate, not incidental.
Put plainly: Fifa is not warning Malaysia to stay out - it is urging Malaysia in.
It is more than an explicit, open invitation – it is a carte blanche to put the FAM house in order.
No legal standing
Yet, Yeoh insists on waiting for a so-called independent committee headed by former chief justice Rauf Sharif. However, this body, established by FAM itself, has no legal standing.
Unlike a commission or committee established by an Act of Parliament, it cannot subpoena witnesses or compel testimony. Its terms of reference remain unclear. Yeoh conceded the Sports Commissioner has sweeping powers under the Sports Development Act - powers to demand documents, summon witnesses, and initiate audits, but this has yet to be done.
For context, Section 12 of the Act states: “The Commissioner (of Sports) may direct any person to disclose to the Commissioner any information and produce any report and document within his knowledge or in his possession as may be deemed necessary for the purpose of exercising any of the powers and functions of the commissioner under this Act and he may further direct the attendance before him of any person whom he considers necessary to enable him to carry out his powers and functions under this Act.”
This is precisely what Fifa wants the government to do – straighten them up. But Yeoh claimed “we must avoid overlapping processes.” Overlap with what? The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) is already investigating, and no one has complained of duplication.
So why not start by hauling up FAM officials under the Act and let FAM investigate its own sordid affairs?
RM30m allocation
Then there is the money. The government allocated RM30 million. Yeoh assured Parliament in February that the National Sports Council (NSC) would monitor spending.
But were the funds used for their intended purposes or for cheating? How much went to foreign players’ salaries, flights, accommodation, and match fees?
How much did agents pocket? What about the management team - CEO (or consultant as the Fifa viewed him), coach Peter Cklamovski, Under 23 coach Nafuzi Zain, and performance chief Dr Craig Duncan, besides deputies and assistants?
How much for the Geneva-based legal counsel, Serge Vittoz, pocket despite having worked illegally in Malaysia?
No, not a breakdown, but at least a round figure from January to now, when the exodus of players and officials began arriving on our shores. After all, it is the taxpayers’ hard-earned money – they deserve to be kept informed.
And Yeoh herself promised transparency on taking office three years ago: “In my 100 days KPI, all allocations sought must be published on the ministry’s website.”
I interpreted it: “This means you and I can see for ourselves how the money allocated to the ministry is spent – a far contrast to past practices. Besides, the sports associations must account for the money they receive from the ministry.”
The seven ‘heritage’ playersAs the scandal deepens, the public remains in the dark. Worse, when news of the forgery broke on Sept 27, both the police and the MACC dismissed it outright.
We have had enough of catchphrases (read: excuses) - “technical mistakes”, “wrong documents forwarded”, and “FAM was not party to the forgery”.
It has now been established that they are mere fibs and whoppers perpetrated by a handful of FAM top brass, using national pride and success on and off the pitch as justification.
For a change, let us have the truth with Yeoh, the NSC and the SC leading the charge.
Anything less or any effort to “tutup satu mata” (close one eye) will be condoning serious criminal offences, which are considered treason in some jurisdictions. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN says every other day, excuses are heard, and no attempt is made to get to the bottom of an affair that has shamed the country, its leaders, its people, leading it to the gutters. Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

---