The National Registration Department (NRD) has denied any involvement in the alleged falsification of documents concerning seven "heritage" players sanctioned by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa).
A NRD source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Malaysiakini that the matter “does not involve” the department.
“In the case of the seven ‘heritage’ players, the NRD’s role was to determine whether they were eligible for Malaysian citizenship or not, in accordance with the Federal Constitution.
“Once they fulfilled the required conditions, the NRD approved their applications and informed FAM (Football Association of Malaysia), with all related approval documents handed over to FAM.
“Therefore, I can confirm that Fifa’s allegations that the players obtained falsified documents, or had deliberately sought to circumvent eligibility rules, do not involve the NRD,” the source said.
The source also said that claims by certain parties suggesting that NRD officers had colluded in the matter were untrue.
“As I’ve mentioned, the granting of citizenship to the seven ‘heritage’ players involved the highest levels of national administration- the minister, FAM, and possibly even discussed at cabinet meetings.
“So, who within the NRD would dare to collude with any party to grant citizenship based on falsified documents, as alleged?” the source asked.
Minister’s discretionary powers
On Thursday, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told Dewan Rakyat that he had exercised his power granted under the Federal Constitution to consider the seven foreign footballers as fit to be granted Malaysian citizenship.
Saifuddin said Section 20(1)(e) of Part III of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution provides discretionary power to the home minister, when considering a citizenship application from a foreigner, particularly in the fulfilment of the minimum residency requirements.
“The power under 20(1)(e) means that the definition of ‘residency’ in the Constitution allows for the applicant’s presence outside the country to still be considered as being within the country,” Saifuddin said.
He stressed that all seven players had fulfilled the requirements under the law to be granted citizenship by naturalisation, including having proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia.
Human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen, however, accused Saifuddin of misleading Parliament by wrongly citing Section 20(1)(e) of the Constitution to justify granting citizenship to the footballers.
Paulsen argued that the provision applies only to calculating residence periods for individuals who have already lived in Malaysia, not to those who have never resided in the country.
“This section should not be deliberately misinterpreted or taken out of context to apply to the present case, where these foreign players have never resided in Malaysia,” Paulsen added.
Paulsen previously served as Malaysia’s representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.
He also challenged Saifuddin’s interpretation of the law.
“So, going by the minister's logic, he can just bring in a million foreigners tomorrow and just exempt them from any requirements. Obviously, this is wrong.”
Fifa sanctions FAM, players
On Sept 26, Fifa imposed sanctions against FAM and the seven players for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code on forgery and falsification.
Fifa said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to feature in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.
It also determined that FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players was also slapped with a 2,000 Swiss francs fine.
The players - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano - were also suspended 12 months from all football-related activities.
In the grounds of its ruling, Fifa revealed it had acquired the original birth documents of the players’ “Malaysian-born” grandparents, which contradicted the alleged doctored documents submitted by the Malaysian side. - Mkini
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