Is a mass passport revocation coming for FAM players?

KUALA LUMPUR – The citizenship status of seven national heritage players is now under intense scrutiny, with serious questions arising should the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) fail in its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Commercial and sports lawyer Nik Erman Nik Roseli raised the possibility of Malaysia taking drastic action by revoking the players' passports, echoing the firm measures once taken by Timor-Leste.

He stated that Timor-Leste previously cancelled the passports of nine players after the country was barred from the 2023 Asian Cup for using forged documents, including birth certificates.

FAM, which is currently appealing to CAS, had earlier admitted to errors in the submission of the documents—an admission that may prove difficult for the governing body to challenge or retract.

“Will we see the same action (passport revocation) taken by Malaysia?” he wrote on his X account.

Nik Erman stressed that the controversy surrounding the national football governing body is no longer merely a sporting issue; it now touches upon the rule of law and the fundamental integrity of citizenship status.

He further questioned the basis on which citizenship was granted to the seven individuals, who are alleged to have no Malaysian blood ties and to have failed to meet the requirements under the Federal Constitution.

“Even if a minister uses discretionary powers to approve citizenship, is that action proper and justified?

“This is also a criminal issue involving document forgery, yet the scandal seems to be discussed only from a sporting perspective. The criminal and citizenship aspects remain quiet. That is a sad state of affairs,” he said.

Earlier, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) found FAM and the seven heritage players guilty of breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) relating to document forgery.

The seven players involved are Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.

Based on the investigation, FAM was alleged to have submitted documents believed to be falsified to verify the players’ eligibility.

Following the breach of the code, FIFA imposed heavy sanctions, ordering FAM to pay a fine of CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million). Each player involved was also fined CHF2,000 (around RM11,000) and suspended from all football activities for 12 months.