FAM fights back over FIFA ban slur and Jalur Gemilang insult

New Straits Times

a day ago

KUALA LUMPUR: The FA of Malaysia (FAM) is seeking legal counsel following explosive claims by Indonesian pundit Justinus Lhaksana, who alleged that the national body and Harimau Malaya have been "secretly" banned by FIFA until 2027 for fielding ineligible naturalised players.
"We will discuss this with our legal team to assess the case," said FAM president Datuk Joehari Ayub at the launch of the National Women's League (LWN) on Thursday.
The accusation, made on Justinus' Bukan Bincang Bola Sepak Biasa podcast, claimed Malaysia had 'played the system' by naturalising five South American players without verifiable ancestry.
The players in question — Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo and Facundo Garces — featured in Harimau Malaya's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.
Justinus even suggested that Malaysia's recent participation in the Under-23 Asean Championship was only possible because the tournament is not under FIFA's jurisdiction.
While the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has firmly refuted the claim — confirming that no suspension has been imposed and that such matters fall strictly under FIFA's authority — the damage from the podcast has triggered public outcry and put FAM on the defensive.
Adding to Malaysia's frustrations, Joehari confirmed that FAM has lodged another serious complaint with the AFC and Asean Football Federation (AFF) over the disgraceful act of Indonesian fans insulting the Jalur Gemilang during Monday's U-23 Asean Championship clash against Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
The match ended goalless, but images showed Malaysia's national flag hung upside down with a large black 'X' drawn across it — an act many Malaysians deemed deeply offensive.
"Yes, we are already in contact with the AFF and AFC about this matter," said Joehari.
"This is something we take very seriously. We do not condone such actions, whether locally or internationally. We are currently working with the AFC and AFF on this."
The combination of cross-border defamation and stadium hostilities has further fuelled tensions between fans in both countries, especially amid growing scrutiny of Malaysia's naturalisation programme and youth development structure.
While FAM has denied any wrongdoing in the naturalisation process, Joehari believes the national body is best placed to lead Malaysian football forward, starting with the long-criticised National Football Development Programme (NFDP) and Mokhtar Dahari Academy (AMD).
"FAM is fully prepared. This is already part of our long-term plan," said Joehari when asked if the governing body was ready to take over the NFDP should the government hand over control.
"If the NFDP or AMD is handed to FAM, we are ready to manage it."
Critics have long questioned the effectiveness of Malaysia's youth pipeline in producing elite talent, but Joehari insists FAM's football-first philosophy provides the foundation to succeed.
"FAM's focus is solely on football. So everything we do is technically rooted in football," he said.