There is nothing to suggest that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh wants Malaysians to believe the “heritage players” scandal is solely the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) problem. Yet the story is far bigger, and critical questions remain unanswered.
Yes, FAM is at the centre of the scandal, facing the International Federation of Association Football’s (Fifa) 350,000 Swiss franc fine and the suspension of its secretary-general, but framing this as purely FAM’s failure is politically convenient and narrow.
These were not seven unknown players plucked from nowhere. They were selected, promoted, and fielded under the national flag. Their presence and the legitimacy of their documents all fall under national sporting governance, which is undeniably within the oversight of the Youth and Sports Ministry.
A scandal of this magnitude, involving seven foreign players claiming Malaysian grandparents, cannot happen in a vacuum. It reflects multiple institutional failures, spanning FAM, the Home Ministry, the National Registration Department (NRD), and the Youth and Sports Ministry.
While the NRD and Home Ministry handle technical verification, and FAM handles player selection and compliance with Fifa rules, the Youth and Sports Ministry is responsible for preventive oversight, governance, and early detection.
Had the ministry exercised stricter scrutiny early on, this scandal might have been caught before it escalated. Prevention is better than a cure.
Systemic governance failures
To be fair, Yeoh (above) has now taken visible steps: freezing additional grants, requiring naturalisation applications to be vetted by the National Sports Council (NSC) before reaching the Home Ministry, and citing Fifa rules on non-interference.
Admittedly, she highlighted the prime minister’s financial support for national football, but many Malaysians will be questioning her political fawning amidst the national scandal.
Her actions are commendable, but fail to address systemic governance failures.
A funding freeze may signal accountability, but it does not:
Explain how ineligible players passed through the system,
Clarify why ministry officials did not detect discrepancies,
Confirm whether due diligence protocols were applied, or
Strengthen internal mechanisms to safeguard sporting integrity.
These measures are band-aids on a deeper problem, and the ministry cannot claim ignorance or innocence.
One glaring example of the ministry’s missed preventive oversight is the failure to test Bahasa Malaysia proficiency for the heritage players.
The heritage footballers represented Malaysia, without any assessment of their command of the national language, despite claiming Malaysian ancestry. Language is a simple, low-cost, and effective measure of cultural and familial ties.
Had the ministry conducted even a basic proficiency test or cultural interview, it could have flagged inconsistencies early, potentially preventing these ineligible players from reaching the national squad. More importantly, it would have saved Malaysia, further humiliation.
This failure goes beyond paperwork and speaks directly to ministerial responsibility.
The NSC vetting requirement is a welcome procedural safeguard and together with the National Football Development Programme, can assess whether a team genuinely needs a heritage player. Sadly, these initiatives came after the scandal, not before.
No domestic investigation
The central question remains: why were seven ineligible players allowed into the national squad? Simple proactive verification, like document checks, cultural and language interviews, and coordination with NRD/Home Ministry, could have prevented this fiasco. Failure lies with the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Alarmingly, the recent police announcement that there is “no criminal element” in the FAM documents scandal only underscores the glaring accountability gap.
While Fifa has sanctioned FAM and the players, domestic authorities have opted not to investigate, closing the case without even recording the complainant’s statement.
This highlights a systemic weakness in preventive governance. When law enforcement and administrative oversight fail to act proactively, mistakes, whether through forged documents or lax verification, are left unchecked.
These reinforce the argument that the Sports Ministry and other agencies should have implemented stricter, early scrutiny measures, such as verifying documentation and language or cultural ties, before the scandal erupted.
Yeoh correctly notes that Fifa prohibits governments from:
dissolving football associations,
replacing leadership, or
influencing internal elections.
However, FIFA does not prevent governments from:
enforcing national regulations for athletes,
coordinating immigration and document verification,
auditing associations receiving public funds,
demanding compliance with national laws, or
establishing oversight protocols.
Using Fifa as a justification for passivity is misleading. The ministry had the tools to prevent this scandal, yet those tools were not applied proactively.
National reputation
During parliamentary sessions, Yeoh highlighted funding from the prime minister and private-sector contributions. While true, Malaysians are not concerned about money.
Their focus is on how ineligible players could represent Malaysia when Fifa found none had Malaysian grandparents. Political praise and funding announcements fail to answer these questions.
These seven players represented Malaysia internationally. Their eligibility was not a private matter for FAM because it affected the national reputation.
A system that allows this level of misrepresentation reflects weak oversight, and weak oversight ultimately falls at the feet of the ministry that governs sport.
Malaysians deserve a full, honest accounting of past oversight failures:
What procedures were in place, or are missing, to flag suspicious eligibility claims?
Was the ministry consulted at any stage during recruitment?
How did the contradiction (“no grandparents from Malaysia”) escape scrutiny?
Did systemic complacency contribute to the fiasco?
These are questions for the minister, not the investigation. Until addressed, the public will see the response as a distraction, not accountability.
Proactive oversight, early scrutiny, and systemic reform, including creative measures like language and cultural verification, are the only ways to restore credibility and prevent history from repeating itself.
FAM may be guilty, but the Youth and Sports Ministry cannot wash its hands that easily. - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army, and the president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, X.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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