HOME Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is facing calls from civil society to clarify how seven naturalised footballers were granted Malaysian citizenship despite allegedly failing to meet constitutional requirements, in the wake of a FIFA investigation into forged documents.
Pushpan Murugiah, chief executive of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, stressed that Saifuddin must provide full transparency and accountability over the footballers’ citizenship approvals and the alleged falsification of documents submitted to FIFA by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
“The home minister has a duty to come clean and reveal the full story of how these players received citizenship despite clearly not fulfilling key requirements, and to account for the blatant forgeries of birth certificates that were submitted to FIFA by the FA of Malaysia,” Pushpan told the New Straits Times.
He highlighted constitutional stipulations requiring applicants for naturalisation to possess “adequate” knowledge of the Malay language.
“So how did these players, who admitted that they do not speak Malay, satisfy this requirement?” he asked.
Pushpan also questioned the treatment of the players’ complete lack of prior residence in Malaysia as a mere “period of absence,” noting that the Constitution allows discretion only in regard to temporary absences, not total non-residency.
The civil society leader suggested that the fast-tracked processing of the players’ citizenship points to possible collusion within government ranks.
“The concerted and fast-tracked nature of this scandal suggests possible collusion among key decision-makers within the government machinery, and it is incumbent on the Home Ministry to identify those responsible.
“Saifuddin himself must immediately clarify his role in the affair to Parliament and answer for his misleading statements,” he said.
Pushpan also drew attention to the international implications, highlighting that the falsified documents were submitted to FIFA to gain an unfair advantage.
“The explanation that this was a mere administrative error is untenable, given that similar edits and errors were present in all seven players’ documentation, clearly indicating a coordinated effort. This is an immense governance failure revealed by FIFA's inquiries, and the government must not simply sweep the issue under the rug,” he said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim affirmed that there would be no cover-up in the investigation into FAM over the falsification of documents.
He warned that FIFA’s rebuke should not be taken lightly, acknowledging the case has become a major national issue.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee in September fined FAM CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players—Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel—was fined CHF2,000 (RM10,600) and banned from all football-related activities for 12 months.
FIFA’s appeal committee upheld the sanctions on November 3 and ordered a formal investigation into FAM’s internal processes, centred on the submission of forged documents for the heritage players.
The controversy has reignited debate over the naturalisation of foreign players to achieve immediate sporting results, with observers insisting that strict adherence to constitutional and governance standards is essential to maintain integrity in both citizenship procedures and national sport. - November 21, 2025
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