Forgery, fraud, and football: FAM has shamed the nation By Frankie D'Cruz

FMT : Those who forged Malaysia’s football disgrace must quit — or be driven out by the country they betrayed.​Forgery and fraud have poisoned Malaysian football — and the stench now hangs over the entire country.

Forgery, fraud and football: three words that should never belong in the same breath, yet under the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), they now define our game. FIFA has ruled that falsified documents were used to naturalise seven players for an Asian Cup qualifier, a betrayal so grave it has left Malaysia fined RM1.9 million. 

The punishment is crushing: seven players banned worldwide for 12 months, and our football dragged into global disgrace. But the real punishment is the dishonour. Malaysia, once a proud football nation, has been dragged through the mud by the very people entrusted to lift it. The fury is not confined to social media — it is national, visceral, and unforgiving. 

Malaysians feel deceived and demeaned. They see deception dressed up as football, pride traded for shortcuts. The country’s reputation has been burned for the selfish gain of officials who thought they could outwit FIFA. What was celebrated as a 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the Asian Cup tie is now remembered as fraud in boots. 

That night of jubilation has curdled into humiliation, proof that under FAM, even glory is counterfeit. Forged papers to sneak players into national colours is not a clerical error. It is calculated deceit. It spits on the sweat of generations who fought honestly for the jersey. And the insult runs deeper. Malaysians will now foot the bill for FAM’s dishonesty. 

Taxpayers already bankroll stadiums, academies, and the very officials who orchestrated this scam — and now they are punished again with a hefty fine. This is not mere negligence; it is criminal dishonesty funded by the public purse. The comparison with East Timor is unavoidable. That tiny nation was thrown out of the Asian Cup for faking birth certificates to field Brazilians. 

Today, Malaysia sits in the same dock of infamy. Once, we laughed at others for bending rules. Now the joke is on us. And it could get worse. AFC general-secretary Windsor John says his body is awaiting the FIFA tribunal’s verdict on player eligibility before acting. That means Malaysia could yet be kicked out of the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, a tournament this country has long dreamed of. If that hammer falls, the humiliation will not stop at FAM. It will once again expose Malaysia before the world. 

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