KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia on Wednesday said its executive committee for the 2025-2029 term will resign effective immediately, as the Asian Football Confederation conducts a review into the organisation that is facing a widening document forgery scandal.

FAM has been struggling to defend itself against claims by world football’s governing body FIFA that it used doctored documentation to allow seven naturalised players to participate in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam last year.

In September, FIFA suspended the footballers for 12 months and fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs ($439,257), though the Court of Arbitration of Sport this week allowed a temporary stay on the player bans pending an appeal by the Malaysian association.

FAM acting president Mohd Yusoff Mahadi on Wednesday said all members of the association’s executive committee, who were appointed 11 months ago, made the decision to resign to protect the organisation’s integrity as it looks to implement reforms and contain further fallout from the scandal.

“The resignations are to safeguard the reputation and institutional interests of [the association] and to mitigate the risk of further adverse consequences that could affect Malaysian football as a whole,” Mahadi told reporters.

He described the move as voluntary, and a “measured and principled step taken in response to recent developments that have attracted significant public attention and external scrutiny”.

Wednesday’s resignations will “provide the appropriate space for FIFA and the AFC to independently assess, review, and, where necessary, address governance, administrative, and procedural matters within FAM”, Yusoff added.

FIFA suspended seven foreign-born players for a year in September and fined the FAM $400,000 for submitting doctored papers claiming they had Malaysian ancestry.

FIFA accused the country’s federation of submitting the documents to make them eligible to represent the Southeast Asian nation, ostensibly to give the national football team a boost.

Football’s global governing body then launched a probe after receiving a complaint following Malaysia’s 4-0 thrashing of Vietnam in a June Asian Cup qualifier.

An investigation by the body showed that none of the players — Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Joao Brandao Figueiredo — had a parent or grandparent born in the country.

FAM appealed the sanctions, but a FIFA committee rejected it and issued a scathing report slamming the association for “not taking any discernible disciplinary action” in the wake of the allegations.

It also said it would launch a formal probe into FAM’s internal operations and notify authorities in five countries of potential criminal proceedings.

The scandal sparked uproar in Malaysia, with fans and several lawmakers calling for action to be taken against FAM and government agencies responsible for granting citizenship to the players.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has promised transparency in domestic probes into the alleged forgery, but stressed that FAM should be allowed to defend itself.

FAM has since appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, where the case is pending.

In December, FIFA again penalised the Southeast Asian nation with three 3-0 defeats in friendlies and slapped on an additional $12,500 in fines.

The association’s general-secretary, Noor Azman Rahman, will now continue to oversee the FAM’s daily operations with the help of the Kuala Lumpur-based Asian Football Confederation, officials said Wednesday.

“What we have discussed in today’s meeting is to help assess the FAM in regards to several internal aspects,” AFC general secretary Windsor Paul John told the press conference.

The AFC will also conduct a review into FAM’s internal management and administrative processes. “We want to identify the weaknesses and gaps that we can benchmark against a modern and standard association,” said Windsor.

The AFC is then to provide a report of their findings at an upcoming FAM congress.

Meanwhile, the FAM on Monday said the CAS granted the seven players a reprieve pending the outcome of the hearings, now set for February 25.

Windsor said the move would allow the players to play for their football clubs, but it was unclear whether they could return to their careers as national players.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026