Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) officials deliberately altered birth certificates and supporting documents related to the naturalization of seven players, according to a writen decision released by the FIFA Appeals Committee. The revelation comes after FIFA sanctioned FAM and the players in late September 2025, stemming from the use of falsified documents during a World Cup qualifying match against Vietnam on June 10th.
The manipulation of data occurred while awaiting official confirmation from the Malaysian government, the FIFA Appeals Committee stated. FAM maintained the changes were administrative in nature and not intended to replace official records or bypass verification processes, and that neither the executive committee nor Secretary General Datuk Noor Azman Rahman were aware of the alterations. The seven naturalized players themselves were also reportedly unaware their data had been changed.
FAM Secretary General Noor Azman Rahman confessed to the alterations, stating, “I admit members of the FAM governance handled and reformatted several copies of birth certificates and supporting documents while compiling complete eligibility files.This includes changed content in the certificate provided by the agent. These steps are administrative in nature and are not intended to replace the official copy or any official verification process.”
Despite acknowledging the data changes, FAM appealed to FIFA, arguing that the alterations did not automatically imply obligation. The association also claimed the actions were not part of a broader scheme to deceive the system.
FIFA’s examination revealed that while FAM submitted documentation claiming the players’ grandparents were Malaysian, official records indicated the grandparents were born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands. FIFA eligibility rules allow players to represent a country if they, or their parents or grandparents, were born there.
The sanctions imposed by FIFA have not been publicly detailed, but the case raises serious questions about the integrity of player eligibility processes within Malaysian football and the potential for similar issues in other national associations.
