“Cannot be contacted,” “refused to cooperate,” and “insufficient documents” have long been the convenient excuses trotted out whenever enforcement agencies fail to prosecute wrongdoers.
On Tuesday, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) joined that familiar list.
A four-member Independent Investigation Committee (IIC) released its report, revealing that its probe into the alleged falsification of birth certificates for seven “heritage” players had stalled - crucial documents were withheld, and key individuals simply refused to cooperate.
Was anything else expected? With no power to compel witnesses or to summon officials to produce relevant documents, the IIC turned out to be a recorder rather than an investigator.
The only consolation was its admission that the investigation was limited, dependent heavily on voluntary statements and documents FAM had provided.
The IIC found the impugned documents of the seven players had the seal and signature of a Notary Public, Lee Lin Jee, Suite 8.1, Level 8 Menara Pelangi, Jalan Kuning, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru.
It noted: “On the impugned documents, he certified as follows:
“I, Lee Lin Jee Notary Public, have on this day examined and compared the documents with their original copy and hereby certify the same to be a true copy thereof.”
The IIC said it made several attempts to procure his attendance, but to no avail. It noted that his presence would have been helpful to clarify whether he had seen the original copy of the impugned documents.
But a check with the Legal Directory or a search on the internet would have provided his identity, although it may not have secured his attendance.
Why would FAM, which is headquartered in Petaling Jaya, send their documents to be notarised in Johor Bahru? Aren’t there any such authorities in Petaling Jaya, or for that matter in Kelana Jaya, near Wisma FAM?
Who in FAM ordered the documents to be sent to Johor Bahru for notarisation?
Your move, FAM
Questions were never asked, and answers, naturally, never came.
This could have been asked of suspended FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman, who was one of the few FAM officials who appeared before the committee.
Others were FAM legal manager, legal counsel Benoit Pasquier, Harimau Malaya CEO Rob Friend, his deputy, Stanley Bernard, national football team coordinator, Zulfadli Rozi, and acting president Yusoff Mahadi.
Rightly, due to its admitted limitations, the IIC could not conclusively determine who falsified the impugned documents.
This is because the certifying public notary did not cooperate, and the seven players’ agents could not be located despite reasonable efforts.
But it provided a serious indictment of the FAM management: What is clear is the serious failures in oversight, due diligence and administrative control within FAM’s management permitted this incident to happen without detection or intervention.
“FAM is advised to lodge a police report immediately, take appropriate internal disciplinary action where oversight failed, and implement structural reform that the IIC recommends.”
The IIC has done what it can without teeth. The next move belongs to FAM - unless, of course, they too become “uncontactable”.
Would FAM dare to act?
If FAM takes the IIC’s recommendations seriously, this episode could mark a turning point. If it does not, then this will simply be another Malaysian scandal where the truth was “unavailable for comment”.
The committee has suggested a way to stem the rot. Whether FAM chooses to clean house or continue pretending nothing happened will determine if Malaysian football moves forward or remains trapped in its own administrative quicksand.
The IIC has handed FAM a mirror to look at itself. What it does next will show whether it sees a governing body worth trusting - or just another organisation hiding behind missing documents and silent witnesses.
The IIC’s recommendations are clear. What remains unclear is whether FAM dares to act on them, or whether this scandal will join the long list of Malaysian investigations that ended exactly where they began.
But in local colloquial lingo, the “soalan cepumas” (jackpot question) is: Will it file reports against those who are part of the organisation? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who strives to uphold the ethos of civil rights leader John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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