FAM's 'heritage players' scandal had no influence on Arif Aiman's AFC Player of the Year result
The Harimau Malaya and Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT) star finished third behind Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Qatar’s Akram Afif.
SHAH ALAM - Despite the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) being embroiled in the ‘heritage player’ forgery scandal, seasoned sports journalist Graig Nunis believes it played no role in Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s outcome at the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Player of the Year awards.
The Harimau Malaya and Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT) star finished third behind Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Qatar’s Akram Afif.
“I do not believe the FAM ‘heritage player’ controversy had any bearing on the AFC voting or Malaysia’s football reputation. The issue only surfaced recently, while award evaluations are based on a player’s performances over an entire season.
“If controversies like that affected perception, then FAM would not have received the AFC President’s Recognition Award silver for Grassroots Football,” he said in an interview with Sinar Daily.
He also cautioned against overstating what the nomination itself means.
Graig does not think Arif’s nomination alone represents a new level of international recognition for Malaysian football.
“An award does not define a player. Just look at Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who is often overlooked for major awards despite being one of the best in the world. What matters is consistency and performance. If Arif keeps giving his best, that is what truly counts.
“But realistically, for him to stand a real chance at winning in the future, he either needs to move to a more competitive league or help JDT dominate at the Asian level,” he added.
Graig further pointed out the natural bias of such awards toward players from higher-ranked leagues and stronger national teams.
“Awards like the AFC Player of the Year do tend to favour players from higher-ranked leagues and stronger national teams. It is natural, those leagues have tougher competition, better infrastructure and more exposure.
“In Malaysia, the Super League is still largely a one-horse race, with JDT far ahead of everyone else. That imbalance makes it hard for players here to gain the same level of recognition,” Graig observed.
He also stood by the AFC’s decision to honour Al-Dawsari, saying the Saudi player’s performances throughout the season spoke for themselves.
According to Graig, Al-Dawsari’s victory was well-deserved, given his outstanding 2024–25 campaign.
He was the top scorer in the AFC Elite Champions League, helped Al Hilal reach the semifinals and played a pivotal role in the FIFA Club World Cup, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals.
“On top of that, he is the league’s all-time leading goalscorer and netted 15 goals this season alone. His impact across both domestic and international competitions gave him the decisive edge over Arif Aiman and Akram Afif,” he said.
At the AFC Awards Night on Oct 17 in Riyadh, Arif made history by becoming the first-ever Malaysian to be nominated for the AFC Player of the Year award. Though he did not win, Arif’s nomination was celebrated as a landmark achievement.
The award ultimately went to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Dawsari, while Afif of Qatar finished second. Arif had been instrumental in JDT’s domestic treble and their run to the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16.
Meanwhile, FAM is still facing unprecedented scrutiny following the ‘heritage players’ scandal that broke in late September.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee allegedly found that seven foreign-born footballers — Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano — were registered with falsified ancestral documents claiming Malaysian heritage.
FIFA determined that the altered documents were “not clerical errors but deliberate falsifications,” imposing fines of CHF 350,000 (RM1.9 million) on FAM and year-long bans on all seven players.
FAM denied wrongdoing, calling it a “technical error” and has since suspended its secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman while filing an appeal to FIFA.
An independent committee was formed to investigate, with a decision expected by Oct 30.
During the same period, FAM still received the AFC President’s Recognition Award (Silver) for Grassroots Football.
Evidence, according to Graig, that the scandal did not affect Malaysia’s regional standing.
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