KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — The full investigation report by the independent committee established by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) into the documentation of seven Harimau Malaya players who were suspended for 12 months by the International Football Federation (Fifa) are expected to be known this month.
FAM acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said they are still waiting for the report from the committee, chaired by former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif, before making any further decision.
“We are still waiting for the report from Tun Raus, and I expect the report to be received this month as well. From the report, we will see the findings presented before determining the next step,” he said.
Yusoff was speaking to the media after the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Specialist Centre (UKMSC) and FAM at the Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital (HCTM) today.
Touching on the MOU between the two parties, he said the collaboration was a beneficial programme for the players and did not rule out exploring other matters with UKMSC, including players' mental management.
In October, the FAM established an independent committee by appointing Raus to investigate the documentation issue involving seven heritage players of Harimau Malaya who were suspended for 12 months by FIFA.
Meanwhile, Yusoff said the FAM had fully submitted the decision on the documentation issue for seven heritage players of Harimau Malaya to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after all Fifa processes were completed.
"In the current situation, our legal team is preparing to submit all the necessary documents. I believe we can meet the CAS procedure on December 18," he said.
Meanwhile, the FAM's dealings with Fifa have ended, and CAS is the governing body's last platform to complete the available legal processes.
Yusoff stressed that the decision to bring the case to CAS was not driven by risk considerations but rather to ensure that all legal processes were fully completed.
"We have completed at the Fifa level, and there is no more matter involving Fifa. At CAS, this is our last process, and it is an independent body that is not bound by Fifa.
"Whatever the decision is, it is final and must be complied with by all parties," he said.
Previously, the FAM confirmed that it had submitted an appeal to CAS regarding the punishment imposed by Fifa involving the documentation issue of seven legacy players: Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.
The decision to bring the case to CAS was made after Fifa released the 64-page Appeals Committee decision on November 3, which upheld its Disciplinary Committee's decision.
The decision fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8 million) and suspended the seven players for 12 months, with each player fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,292).
