Taufiq urges FAM to act after Harimau Malaya’s drop in world rankings

 The national football team slides from 121st to 135th in the latest Fifa rankings, its worst position since 2006.

Youth and sports minister Dr Taufiq Johari said his ministry is discussing with FAM plans to halt Harimau Malaya’s slide in the Fifa rankings. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Youth and sports minister Dr Taufiq Johari has urged the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to take action after Harimau Malaya dropped to a 20-year low in the world rankings.

The latest Fifa rankings saw the national football team slide from 121st to 135th position following the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) decision to overturn two of Harimau Malaya’s victories in their 2027 Asian Cup qualifying campaign after they were found to have fielded ineligible players.

In a statement, Taufiq said his ministry would maintain regular discussions with FAM about its plans to halt the team’s slide in the rankings, particularly after changes in Fifa’s ranking system, where rankings are now updated after each international match.

“I share the disappointment of Malaysians, particularly local football fans, over this drop in rankings and the recent controversies surrounding Harimau Malaya,” said Taufiq.

“All parties must learn from this and work harder to strengthen Malaysian football. I hope appropriate measures will be taken to ensure such incidents do not recur in the future.”

Taufiq also said FAM should be given the opportunity to identify and implement internal reforms, including holding a congress to elect new leadership.

He said his ministry would not interfere in FAM’s administration, adding that the National Sports Council would continue developing local football through the national football development programme with FAM as a strategic partner.

FAM and seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa last September after the world football body said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam.

In addition to slapping FAM with a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million), Fifa fined each of the seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel – 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM10,560).

Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Fifa’s findings that the documents were falsified but said the players did not act with intent or negligence.

The controversy led to the resignation of the entire FAM executive committee in an attempt to avert a Fifa suspension, while a police investigation into the alleged forgery is ongoing.

Last December, Malaysia slipped five rungs in the Fifa rankings after its results in three international friendly matches were overturned to 3-0 defeats after Fifa ruled that FAM fielded ineligible players.

The ruling affected Malaysia’s matches against Cape Verde, Singapore and Palestine. - FMT