FAM chief responds to accusations of secrecy

New Straits Times

a day ago

KUALA LUMPUR: The foreign-born naturalised players have come to Kuala Lumpur, played for Malaysia and have gone back to where they came from.
Yet, the debate over their ancestry, their lineage, their connection to Malaysia refuses to go away.
It's an unusual situation, in fact, something which Malaysian football has never experienced. Some fans can't pronounce the names of their national players, some have problems remembering who is who and from where.
And some fans have accused the FA of Malaysia (FAM) of keeping the lineage of the heritage players under wraps.
In response, FAM president Datuk Joehari Ayub said the lineage and ancestry of the new heritage players have been verified.
FAM had earlier announced that five new heritage players — Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo and Rodrigo Holgado — were cleared by Fifa. And they played key roles in the 4-0 win over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier in Bukit Jalil last month.
However, FAM has not revealed the lineage of these players, or how are they related to Malaysia, leaving fans in the dark.
Joehari said the players' backgrounds were vetted and cleared by Fifa, and FAM has no reason to conceal any information.
"We are not taking this lightly. Fifa has checked everything, and at FAM, we are merely following the procedures and directives set by them.
"If we need to reveal it, we have no problem doing so."
Joehari said FAM has always prioritised transparency and will not take shortcuts when it comes to recruiting foreign-born players, particularly in terms of eligibility and compliance with international regulations.
"If there were any issues, Fifa would not have granted approval. In this case, everything was cleared and done through the correct process," he said.