Top Malaysian football officials quit over foreign-born players scandal

"An ongoing crisis surrounding Malaysian football has deepened after the entire executive committee of its football association resigned, the latest blow in a damaging eligibility row over forged documents used to field foreign-born players in the country's Asian Cup qualifying matches. The executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) resigned on Wednesday amid intense scrutiny of the country's football governance."

"The resignations are to safeguard the reputation and institutional interests of [the association] and to mitigate the risk of further adverse consequences that could affect Malaysian football as a whole, acting FAM president Yusoff Mahadi said. He said the resignations of the executive committee will provide the appropriate space for FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to independently assess, review, and, where necessary, address governance, administrative, and procedural matters within FAM."

"FIFA, the world football governing body, suspended seven foreign-born players for a year in September and fined the FAM $400,000 for submitting false documents claiming they had Malaysian ancestry. The FAM appealed the sanctions, but a FIFA committee rejected them and issued a scathing report criticising the association for not taking any discernible disciplinary action. It ordered a full inquiry into FAM's conduct and governance."

The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia resigned unanimously and voluntarily amid intense scrutiny after revelations that forged documents were used to field foreign-born players in Asian Cup qualifiers. The resignations were framed as protecting the association's reputation and giving FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation space to assess governance, administrative, and procedural matters, acting FAM president Yusoff Mahadi said. FIFA suspended seven players for a year, fined FAM $400,000, and a FIFA committee rejected FAM's appeal while ordering a full inquiry. FAM has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and CAS has temporarily halted the FIFA-imposed player bans pending review.

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