CYBERJAYA, Sept 30 — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) is awaiting the outcome of the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal to the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) over its sanctions before issuing any official statement.
Minister Hannah Yeoh said FAM, as a large and experienced sports association, is believed to have the capacity and a sufficient legal team to manage the appeal process.
Any enquiries or further information regarding the case should be directed to FAM, as the national football body has the latest updates on its appeal.
“I will only make an official statement after Fifa’s decision on the appeal.
“I want to make sure that if there were any mistakes, we have room to rectify them so this does not happen again. But at the moment, it is premature as I need to know the status of the appeal to Fifa first before making any further comment,” she said.
Yeoh was speaking to the press after officiating at the Roundtable Discussion (RTD) on Strengthening Sexual and Reproductive Health Education at RekaScape today.
She added that there is no need at this stage for KBS to extend additional assistance to FAM for the appeal process as the association has its own resources.
On Friday (September 26), FAM and seven heritage players were sanctioned by Fifa's Disciplinary Committee for breaching Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code relating to document falsification.
In a statement, the world governing body said that FAM submitted falsified documents to certify the eligibility of the players, enabling them to feature in the third-round qualifiers of the 2027 Asian Cup against Vietnam on June 10.
The seven sanctioned heritage players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.
As a result, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8 million), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,560) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities, effective from the decision's notification date.
On Sunday (September 28), FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman admitted there had been a technical error in the submission of documents by the association’s administrative staff.
He said the FAM views the matter seriously and stressed that the players involved are legitimate Malaysian citizens. It is now awaiting Fifa’s full written judgment before filing an appeal through the proper legal channels.
Meanwhile, the RTD, organised by KBS' Malaysian Institute for Youth Research (IYRES) in collaboration with Puspanita KBS, was attended by 222 youths.
Yeoh said KBS upholds the key message of abstinence, avoiding sexual relations before marriage. However, for youth who have engaged in premarital sex, the approach is to educate and guide them back on the right path by providing accurate information on how to protect themselves.
Various awareness programmes are being carried out, including anti-drug and anti-pornography campaigns, as well as self-love initiatives, in collaboration with the Health Ministry, the Education Ministry, and the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry.
