In Malaysia’s New Straits Times, journalist Ajitpal Singh stated: “The penalty imposed by FIFA on Malaysian football is unprecedented. Previously, to play for the national team, a player had to be of bloodline or born in that country.”
“Now, one can don the national team jersey with a dossier, with a vague birth certificate of grandparents, thanks to the bureaucracy of a system designed to create these profiles. Subsequently, new passports with new nationalities appear at dizzying speed. Football matches have now become a race of new passports.”
Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam on June 10 turned out to be the beginning of unforeseen consequences for Malaysian football (Photo: T.H).
“Footballing nations with excessive ambition sign contracts with players who have very distant ancestral ties, or simply connect with player agents, then seek out lenient registration officials,” journalist Ajitpal Singh added bitterly, hinting at the naturalization methods for a series of Malaysian players recently sanctioned by FIFA.
The journalist further elaborated on the path Malaysian football had taken into a deadlock. Ajitpal Singh analyzed: “The Malaysian national team’s lineup resembled a travel guide, with players hailing from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and the Netherlands.”
“Seven foreign-born players, including Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel, and Joao Figueiredo, were expected to galvanize the Malaysian team.
But this very action, instead of leading Malaysian football to success, led them to face lawyers, stern reports from FIFA, and now the red card of regulations,” Ajitpal Singh continued.
Malaysian football once planned to deceive everyone, but failed (Photo: NST).
The Malaysian journalist himself frankly commented that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) intended to circumvent FIFA by submitting opaque dossiers regarding the seven involved players to the world football governing body. However, FAM failed to deceive FIFA.
Journalist Ajitpal Singh shared: “On paper, the seven naturalized players mentioned were Malaysian, but their passports would be scrutinized. At the same time, FIFA wouldn’t just check passports but also the origins of the registered players. And that’s when everything unraveled.”
“Now, instead of pursuing a spot in the Asian Cup 2027, Malaysian football has to pursue lawyers. They have become an international laughing stock, similar to what happened to Timor Leste football previously, also involving a fake document scandal.
The misfortune of Malaysian football is perhaps the biggest warning bell ever, sent to any footballing nation that wants to cross the boundaries of player registration conditions,” the journalist continued to write in the New Straits Times.
Finally, Ajitpal Singh concluded his article with bitter words: “If the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upholds FIFA’s ruling, those at the helm of Malaysian football must be held accountable. This scandal is an own goal of the most severe kind.”
“Malaysian fans can forgive defeat, but what they cannot forgive is the feeling of being deceived,” journalist Ajitpal Singh emphasized.
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