Malaysia police confirm fraudulent act in naturalization scandal involving 7 footballers

In a statement released on the afternoon of Jan. 22, Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, Director of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CID), detailed the findings of a comprehensive probe. Authorities launched the investigation after receiving 45 separate reports and have since recorded statements from 43 individuals to assist in the verification process, Bernama reported.

Initial inquiries indicated that the administrative process for granting Malaysian citizenship to the seven players adhered to standard procedures. However, a deeper investigation revealed numerous irregularities in the specific documents used to prove the players' Malaysian origin and eligibility, paperwork that was crucial for their registration with FIFA.

The seven players, Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo and Jon Irazabal, played in Malaysia's 4-0 victory against Vietnam and 1-0 victory against Nepal in the Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2025.

They have been fined and suspended for one year starting September 2025 by FIFA which determined that they were ineligible to represent Malaysia national team.

Malaysia players celebrate a goal in the 4-0 win against Vietnam at the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, 2025. Photo by Instagram/@malaysia_nt

PDRM confirmed that two individuals have been identified as being directly involved in the document forgery, though their identities have not yet been disclosed to the public, according to Scoop.

The case is being investigated under the Malaysian Penal Code, which covers cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property. If convicted, the suspects will face a prison sentence of one to 10 years and potential fines.

Crucially, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has not yet been implicated in any criminal wrongdoing. This follows an earlier review by an Independent Investigation Committee (IIC), which highlighted administrative weaknesses in the naturalization process but did not assign specific criminal liability to the association.

With these new conclusions from the PDRM, Malaysia has taken a significant step toward clarifying the nature of the scandal. These police findings are expected to serve as vital evidence for FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they determine the next step for Malaysian football amidst the ongoing controversy.