By Media Selangor Team
SHAH ALAM, Oct 7 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh wants the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to respond to the International Federation of Association Football's (Fifa) revelation pertaining to the seven suspended heritage players.
In a statement, Yeoh also ordered the national governing body of football to complete its appeal process of Fifa's ruling.
"I have read Fifa’s grounds of judgment. FAM must complete the appeal process by announcing its intention to appeal and filing it accordingly.
"FAM cannot remain silent and must provide a clear response to all the revelations made by Fifa. Malaysian football fans are hurt, angry, and disappointed," she said today.
Earlier, Fifa presented evidence of forged documents used in Malaysia mixed-heritage player registration.
A document addressed by Fifa Disciplinary Committee deputy chairperson Jorge Palacio highlighted significant inconsistencies between the original birth certificates obtained by Fifa and those submitted by FAM to support the players’ eligibility to represent Malaysia.
"The committee wishes to highlight that the original birth certificates indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," Palacio said in the ruling.
FAM confirmed receiving the full written judgment and said it would formally lodge an appeal through the proper legal channels, as all supporting evidence is complete and ready for immediate submission.
FAM took particular issue with some of the conclusions drawn by Fifa, including the allegation that the players obtained falsified documents or deliberately attempted to circumvent eligibility rules.
It added that FAM will only share the relevant information needed for the purposes of the Fifa proceedings.
Last month, FAM and seven heritage players were sanctioned by Fifa's Disciplinary Committee after being found to have violated Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code in relation to the falsification of documents.
