THE Member of Parliament for Bukit Gelugor, Ramkarpal Singh, has called on the government to launch a fresh probe into allegations of misconduct involving the issuance of Malaysian passports to seven heritage football players, following revelations by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat during the debate on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ budget bill, Ramkarpal stressed that despite prior statements by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) that no criminal elements were detected, FIFA’s findings raise serious questions warranting renewed investigation.
“Will the ministry direct PDRM and SPRM to open new investigation papers based on the FIFA report? If criminal elements are found, will the planner or ‘mastermind’ behind this scandal be exposed and brought to court?” he asked.
Earlier, the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, had stated that the applications of the seven players, submitted through the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), were approved under the naturalisation process as provided for under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution, which governs citizenship for foreign nationals.
However, the FIFA Judgement, outlined in the ‘Notification of the Grounds of the Decision-FDD-24394’ and signed by FIFA Judicial Director Luis Villas Pires, alleges that FAM and the seven foreign-born players used falsified documents, including grandparents’ birth certificates, to assert Malaysian lineage.
Ramkarpal further questioned how the players could have obtained Malaysian passports while reportedly still holding passports from their countries of origin.
“Does this not contravene Malaysia’s policy, which does not permit dual citizenship? Is the Ministry of Home Affairs prepared to revoke the passports issued, in light of FIFA’s findings affirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)?” he asked. - November 26, 2025
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