Malaysian Boss Reveals Secret That Shocks Public Opinion

Johor Crown Prince Tunku Mahkota Ismail unexpectedly spoke out after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling, revealing internal details that are stirring Malaysian football.

After the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed the appeal by the Malaysian Football Association in the scandal involving player naturalization and falsification of documents, Johor Crown Prince Tunku Mahkota Ismail spoke out, revealing many noteworthy details. This information is believed to explain why Malaysian football failed in the legal dispute with the World Football Federation (FIFA).

According to the Johor Crown Prince, the core of the issue is not about the players' nationality eligibility but directly relates to submitting documents that violate regulations. On social media X on March 10 morning, he stated that during the CAS hearing on February 26, FIFA could not provide evidence proving the players directly participated or assisted in the document fraud.

In his notable post, Tunku Mahkota Ismail wrote: “FIFA's case is about document forgery, not nationality. The question is: who submitted the incorrect documents? Which representatives and who within FAM did that?”. According to him, instead of submitting valid documents from the Malaysian National Registration Department (NRD), some individuals within FAM used non-compliant materials.

Not stopping there, the Johor Crown Prince also mentioned prolonged internal conflicts within FAM, particularly concerning financial matters. He said: “Some people in FAM were dissatisfied with me from the start because they couldn't make money. Some asked me to find projects, some asked me to help avoid investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)”.

According to the Johor Crown Prince's assessment, the use of non-compliant documents led the case to be judged as document fraud, resulting in CAS dismissing the appeal and upholding FIFA's penalty. He also questioned why this case was handled much more severely compared to some precedents from the past.

To illustrate, he cited the case of a female player who admitted to falsifying documents but was only banned for 10 national team matches, while still allowed to play at club level. According to the Johor Crown Prince, the difference in handling has led Malaysian public opinion to raise many doubts about FAM's procedural errors.

Previously, on March 5, CAS dismissed FAM's appeal along with seven involved players: Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palmero, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, and Rodrigo Holgado. FAM was fined 350,000 CHF, while the seven players received a 12-month suspension according to FIFA's upheld decision.

Concluding his post, the Johor Crown Prince continued to criticize some individuals within FAM, stating they are trying to shift responsibility to the players or the media. According to him, the nature of the case is very clear: those who directly submitted the incorrect documents must bear responsibility, instead of letting the players or other individuals become "scapegoats" in the scandal that shocked Malaysian football.