The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) resigned on Wednesday following a controversy over the naturalisation of seven foreign-born players that resulted in FIFA sanctions, a legal appeal and heightened scrutiny of football governance in the country.
All members of the committee, who were elected 11 months ago for the 2025–2029 term, stepped down with immediate effect. The association said the decision was unanimous and voluntary, taken to safeguard FAM’s credibility.
The collective resignation came after FIFA, in September last year, imposed a fine of around $450,000 on FAM and handed one-year suspensions to the seven players after concluding that falsified documents had been submitted to support their naturalisation. The players Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Héctor Hevel were also fined individually.
The players, who hail from Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain, had represented Malaysia in international matches, including a qualifying game for the 2027 Asian Cup in which Malaysia defeated Vietnam.
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Malaysian officials had said the seven players met FIFA eligibility rules through Malaysian-born grandparents but FIFA said investigators obtained original documents from the players’ home countries that disputed those claims.
In a statement on Wednesday, FAM said the executive committee, elected for a four-year 2025–2029 term, resigned after 11 months to place the interests of Malaysian football above office-holding. The move aimed to protect the association’s reputation and limit further repercussions, while allowing FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to review governance and procedures without conflicts of interest.
FAM said the decision was meant to restore confidence among stakeholders. Acting president Mohamad Yusoff Mahadi said secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman will oversee daily operations. FIFA’s ban on the players has been temporarily suspended pending an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.