Youth and Sports Minister Taufiq Johari has expressed disappointment over the national football squad’s plummeting rankings, assuring his ministry will engage with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to halt the slide.
His statement comes after it was reported that Harimau Malaya’s Fifa rankings dropped by 14 spots from 121st to 135th, following sanctions on the national team and FAM over falsification of citizenship documents.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) earlier nullified Malaysia’s victories in two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches held last year, following its finding that the FAM had fielded ineligible players.
The forfeiture of Malaysia’s wins over Vietnam and Nepal effectively ended Harimau Malaya’s bid for the Asian Cup ahead of the final Group F match against Vietnam at the Thien Truong Stadium on March 31.
In December last year, Fifa also overturned Malaysia’s wins in three Tier 1 international friendly matches played in May and September.
In a statement today, Taufiq (above) said he “shares the disappointment of Malaysians”, especially local football fans, regarding the rankings drop and “controversies” that have plagued the national team.
“All parties must take a lesson from this, and the empowerment of national football must be intensified. I hope appropriate measures will be taken to ensure such incidents do not recur in the future.
“Football development, especially at the grassroots level, must continue, and I urge all Malaysians to remain steadfast in supporting the sport,” he added.
He also said that while the Youth and Sports Ministry maintains its non-interference in FAM’s management, it will continue to prioritise the empowerment and development of local football talent alongside FAM as a strategic partner.
“At the same time, the ministry will continue to hold periodic engagement sessions with FAM to obtain feedback on their strategies to prevent further ranking declines,” Taufiq noted.
“I also hope all parties can provide space for FAM, with the assistance of the AFC, to identify and subsequently implement necessary internal reforms, as well as hold a congress to elect its new leadership lineup.”
According to Fifa, Malaysia’s highest ranking was 75th in 1993, while its lowest was 178th in 2018. There are 211 nations and territories in the rankings list.
‘Off-field speed bump’
Yesterday, Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski told a press conference that everything within the team’s control has been implemented well, including training, style of play, and tactical analysis.
Cklamovski, whose contract with the team ends this year, then described external obstacles as temporary challenges that must be overcome, admitting that “things off the field” have affected the team like a “speed bump”.
However, he asserted that while the short-term goal to secure the Asian Cup has been “ripped away” from the team, his long-term vision to take Malaysia to the World Cup Finals has not changed.
On Sept 26, Fifa confirmed that FAM and seven “heritage” players - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel - were found guilty of violating Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code related to document falsification.
Investigations revealed that FAM had submitted falsified citizenship documents to confirm the eligibility of the players.
For this, FAM was also ordered to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.7 million), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,000) and suspended from all football-related activities for 12 months.
Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) partially upheld Fifa’s sanctions against the Harimau Malaya players after finding that the infraction of falsifying eligibility documents was established.
Besides amended sanctions for the players, CAS maintained the fine on FAM, ruling the amount as “justified and proportionate”.
The Malaysian Football League (MFL), however, has said the registrations of four players implicated in the scandal - Figueiredo, Irazabal, Hevel, and Arrocha - complied with M-League regulations, thus allowing them to be registered as local players for the league. - Mkini
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