Fifa: 'Heritage' players don't speak BM, but passed citizenship language test By Zikri Kamarulzaman

JBond :

Malusia, added another feather on our cap besides Land of International Pencuri (1MDB), now International Penipu (Heritage players). Well done Madani!. What other international embarrassments are lined up? Care to share with the rakyat?

Malaysiakini : The seven suspended “heritage” footballers had told the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) that they do not speak Bahasa Malaysia.

Yet, somehow, as the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) claimed, they passed the requisite Bahasa Malaysia test for their citizenship application.

These were among three damning allegations that surfaced in the Fifa appeals committee decision document.

Fifa had rejected an appeal against sanctions imposed on FAM and the seven players - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

1. 'Passing' citizenship requirements

In their written submissions, documents, and filings to the Fifa committee, all seven players admitted that they did not read the citizenship application documents submitted to the Malaysian government.

This included the boilerplate statement in the application that they had stayed in Malaysia for at least 10 years.

The same statement in the application form has the applicants swear that the documents they submitted are true, and that if they make any false statements, they are liable to be jailed for two years or fined.

The players' lawyers, however, admitted to Fifa that they were not granted citizenship because of residency.

The lawyers also said that the players did not read the documents because it was in the "Malaysian language", a fact the players also attested to.

"The players confirmed at the hearing that some of the documents were in ‘Malaysian’, which they do not speak, and that no translation was procured or asked by the players," Fifa noted.

In FAM's submissions, it said that the players had passed all their citizenship requirements, including a language test.

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