Government approved citizenship of 7 heritage players following naturalisation process - Saifuddin

HOME Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told the Dewan Rakyat today that the seven Harimau Malaya heritage players were granted citizenship in full compliance with the Federal Constitution and Citizenship Act.

He said the ministry approved the applications of seven players from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to obtain citizenship through naturalisation and they were included in the list of 23 players who had been approved throughout his service.

According to him, the decision was made in accordance with Article 19 of the Federal Constitution, which is an application to become a citizen from a foreign nationality.

"On whether the process of granting citizenship to these seven players complied with all provisions of the Constitution, the Citizenship Act and the Federal Constitution — yes, it is very clear," he said.

Saifuddin's explanation comes following FIFA's findings of inconsistencies in the documents of the players in question.

"Article 19 of the Federal Constitution allows the government to consider and process decisions about citizenship.

"There are three pillars used to make this decision, namely the applicant must apply himself and cannot go through an agent. The National Registration Department (NRD) has never used the services of an agent.

"The applicant must reside in Malaysia for a period of time, be of good conduct and have sufficient understanding of the Malay language. When we checked, these things were complied with," he said.

However, Saifuddin added, it is not enough because the application is processed according to the Citizenship Rules 1964 which leads to the need to fill out Form C with passport details and related documents.

"There (JPN) ... there is one more thing, which is FIFA says that if someone wants to play for a country, the player must first be born in that country.

"Secondly, the mother or father of these seven players were born in that country and thirdly, the player's grandparents were born in that country.

"Fourthly, the player has lived continuously in one place. If any one of these conditions is met, the player is eligible to represent the country and be registered with FIFA. That is a matter for FAM," he said.

"FIFA said the information given was fake, that is what FIFA stated. FAM, on the other hand, said the information was provided by the players themselves. Let them resolve the matter.

"From a constitutional point of view, it is very clear," he said. – October 9, 2025