FIFA: FAM admits to altering the birth certificates of 7 players.

The FIFA Appeals Committee announced on November 18th that it had discovered irregularities in the records of seven naturalized players, rejecting all defense arguments from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). According to the New Straits Times, FIFA confirmed that FAM admitted that some staff members had independently made “administrative adjustments” to the foreign birth certificates of these players while awaiting confirmation from Malaysian authorities.

Main developments

According to FIFA records, FAM claims the alterations were made without the consent of the executive board or Secretary General Datuk Noor Azman Rahman. “I acknowledge that members of the FAM management processed and reformatted some copies of birth certificates and supporting documents while compiling complete eligibility dossiers. This included altering the content of certificates provided by agents. These steps were administrative in nature and were never intended to replace certified copies or any formal verification process,” NST quoted Noor Azman, the suspended FAM Secretary General, as saying.

FAM's argument and FIFA's response

FAM cited Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code on fraud and falsification, arguing that this regulation is discretionary and does not automatically hold the federation collectively responsible for every individual act. FAM emphasized that this was an isolated incident, not a plan or policy aimed at "systemic fraud."

FIFA quoted FAM's argument: "There was no organized plan to fabricate kinship information or circumvent eligibility regulations." According to FAM, they fully cooperated with FIFA and domestic authorities: proactively submitted eligibility checks, verified civil status, and collaborated with investigators – considering this as "transparency," contrary to the allegations of fraud.

Impact and next steps

The FIFA Appeals Committee's rejection of all arguments indicates that the dossiers of the seven naturalized players will continue to be formally investigated. Given that FAM has admitted to "administrative adjustments" on paper, the federation is predicted to face the risk of heavy penalties, as stated in the NST report.

Following the detailed ruling on November 18th, FAM confirmed it would take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This is FAM's next legal step in its efforts to overturn the conclusion and defend its position that any errors – if any – were localized and not organized.

AFC's Perspective

The General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Datuk Windsor John, stated that the Football Association of Asia (FAM) faces serious consequences due to its complacency and indifference regarding FIFA's sanctions. This statement underscores the level of risk that FAM must manage during the period awaiting official investigation and the appeal process before the CAS.

Key point

• November 18th: FIFA's Appeals Committee found irregularities and rejected FAM's arguments.
• FAM admitted to making “administrative adjustments” to the foreign birth certificates of 7 naturalized players.
• FAM asserts that this was an isolated incident, not a planned event; and says it has fully cooperated with the investigating authorities.
• FAM will appeal to CAS; AFC Secretary-General warns of serious consequences.

While awaiting the official investigation, the incident raises serious questions about compliance and internal control processes at FAM – where even “administrative adjustments” require a clear distinction between technical manipulation and the risk of falsifying eligibility records.