Instant Citizenship Heritage Players Poison Malaysian Football

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The euphoria surrounding Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in June was palpable.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim led the chorus of superlatives, and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) gratefully credited the government for its full assistance and support, which supposedly contributed to the Harimau Malaya's resounding win.
This support included financial allocations and, most critically, facilitating the documentation for new “heritage players.”
In thanking him, FAM expressed its gratitude to Anwar and the government for their full assistance and support, which contributed to Harimau Malaya’s resounding victory.
ADSIn a statement, it announced that apart from financial support through special allocations for Harimau Malaya, the government also facilitated the documentation process for new heritage players, enabling them to feature for the team.
“It is hoped that the full support from the country’s top leadership and fans will continue to inspire Harimau Malaya’s performance in upcoming international matches, en route to becoming one of the giants of Asian football,” the statement read.
‘Forgeocracy’
If kleptocracy - the seizure of public wealth by corrupt leaders - has long tainted our politics, its cynical cousin, a sporting “forgeocracy,” has now infected our playing fields.
The International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) ruled that FAM had submitted doctored documentation to field seven players in that Asian Cup qualifier.
FAM and the players involved had been sanctioned for breaching its disciplinary code, which relates to forgery and falsification.
Despite the convincing win on the pitch, Malaysian football now stands condemned for different reasons - as cheats and outcasts. This dishonour speaks volumes not just about the football administrators, but also about the government as an abettor.
By providing both financial backing and the administrative machinery to fast-track eligibility, the government became complicit in a scheme to buy instant success at the cost of national integrity.
Following its investigation, Fifa’s disciplinary committee said FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players has been fined 2,000 Swiss francs in addition to a 12-month suspension.
It says so about Malaysian football and the people who run it, and by extension, the government as an abettor, because it provided financial support and offered administrative arrangements for their eligibility to play.
(Last year, the government announced an RM15 million allocation for the development of the national team - RM10 million from the government, while RM5 million will be from private entities.)
ADSHollow pledge
As an immediate response, the FAM said it would “use all available legal channels and procedures to ensure that the interests of the players and the Malaysian national team are always protected”.
FAM’s response - to appeal and claim it acted “in good faith and with full transparency” - rings hollow. This is especially true given that the forgeries were sophisticated enough to initially bypass scrutiny.
Fifa’s investigation, which undoubtedly involved vetting players' backgrounds and relatives, conclusively proved the documents were fake.
Over the years, I had written several commentaries on the foreign players gracing our lands and had been given citizenship.
Three weeks ago, I suggested that the spending of sports associations be made public.
This fiasco is a painful echo of past concerns about the expedited naturalisation of foreign athletes. The satirical suggestion that a player needs only “fog a mirror” or find an “unmarked grave” in Malacca to claim heritage feels less like humour and more like prophecy.
The central question remains: where is the verifiable proof?
Good luck to FAM on their appeal, and they can afford to pay the fine without breaking the bank, but the damage to Malaysia’s reputation is irreparable.
This episode is a stark lesson that there are no shortcuts to glory. True success in sports, as in governance, is built on integrity, hard work, and transparency - principles that have been blatantly forged along with the players’ documents. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN started his journalistic career as a sports reporter and has been a close observer of sports and its administrators. Comments: [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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