Mass Resignation of Malaysian Football Officials Amid Foreign Players Scandal

Mon Feb 02 2026 21:56:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has resigned following allegations of document forgery related to foreign-born players on the national football team, as FIFA investigates the situation.

In light of a FIFA investigation into the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for allegedly manipulating citizenship documents for foreign-born players, the entire executive committee has resigned to allow for necessary reforms free from distractions. FAM aims to preserve the integrity of Malaysian football amidst this controversy, which has led to FIFA suspending seven players from the national team.

The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have resigned amid a simmering scandal over foreign-born players in the national team.

Fifa, the world football governing body, has accused FAM of doctoring citizenship documents so seven foreign-born athletes could play for Malaysia.

The mass resignations would 'ensure that any necessary reforms may be undertaken without distraction or perceived conflicts, and with a renewed basis of trust', FAM said in a statement on Wednesday.

For days there had been speculation that FAM leaders would step down to prevent a takeover by a FIFA-nominated committee, local media reported.

The resignations were meant to 'safeguard the reputation and institutional interests of FAM' and avoid consequences that 'could affect Malaysian football as a whole', FAM said.

Until a new committee is appointed, FAM's operations will be managed by a small team led by its secretary-general with help from the Asian Football Confederation.

The seven foreign-born players have been fined by FIFA, which also temporarily suspended them from playing football, though this suspension was recently lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Fifa initiated the investigation after Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier last June, focusing on the eligibility of seven foreign-born players. These players include those born in Spain, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Brazil.

FIFA's regulations allow foreign-born football players to represent countries based on their biological heritage, aiming to prevent teams from simply importing talent. However, investigators reported that FAM forged birth certificates to misrepresent these players' backgrounds.

The response from FIFA included fines and the nullification of match results while also initiating further investigation into FAM's practices, highlighting the severity of the allegations.

As the situation continues to develop, a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport on the eligibility of the players is expected in late February, while the players have already returned to their respective clubs for training.