EAIC recommends review of citizenship approvals for 7 heritage players

 Task force identifies several irregularities, including issuance of entry permits, interviews and security screenings by the immigration department, and the Bahasa Melayu proficiency test.

FAM and seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa last year, after the world football body said the national association had submitted falsified documents. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) has recommended a review of the citizenship approvals granted to seven naturalised Harimau Malaya players after a task force uncovered several irregularities in the process.

EAIC said the task force found that while the home minister had discretionary power to grant citizenship by naturalisation under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution, the requirements for special approval were considered within an “extremely short period” and in an irregular manner.

The irregularities include the issuance of entry permits, interviews and security screenings by the immigration department, and the Bahasa Melayu proficiency test administered by the national registration department (JPN) as part of the citizenship approval process, said EAIC in a statement.

It identified non-compliance in verifying that the applicants had been released from the citizenship of their countries of origin by the relevant foreign authorities, as well as failures to ensure the surrender of their original foreign passports to the immigration department.

EAIC also called for dedicated SOPs governing citizenship approvals under Article 19(2), including clearer guidelines on the exercise of ministerial discretion, mandatory renunciation of previous citizenship, and stricter security screenings.

“Acquiring Malaysian citizenship by naturalisation involves the national interest and national security. Therefore, all existing procedures must be strictly observed by the immigration department and JPN,” it said.

It also recommended that JPN introduce guidelines governing the registrar-general’s discretionary powers in issuing birth certificates under Section 10A of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957, ensuring that such discretion is exercised only after thorough due diligence and sufficient evidence that a birth has occurred.

Last October, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa after the world football body said FAM had submitted falsified birth certificates to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam last June.

A Fifa investigation found that falsified documents had been used to claim that each player had a grandparent born in Malaysia, although they were actually born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands.

The players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

In addition to slapping FAM with a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million), Fifa fined each player 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM10,560) and suspended them for 12 months.

In March, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld the appeal filed by the seven players, ruling that the ban be applied only for official matches instead of all football-related activities.

The panel found that the 12-month ban for falsifying documents was a reasonable and proportionate sanction for the players, given their complicit responsibility in the fraud.

The CAS also dismissed FAM’s appeal over Fifa’s fine, considering it justified and proportionate to the offence. - FMT