Naturalisation of seven Harimau Malaya footballers done in a very short time, irregular manner, says EAIC

The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), upon the findings of its investigation into the doctored documentation scandal involving seven footballers in Malaysia, calls for Putrajaya to review the process and documents of the players.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) has urged the National Registration Department (NRD) and the Home Ministry to review the entire process and citizenship documents of the seven Malaysian naturalised football players.

The Commission also said there should be guidelines on exercising the discretionary powers of the Home Minister under the law, taking into account the basic provisions in the Federal Constitution that emphasise the period of residence in the country as a basis for certified citizenship, and also as an important factor when considering approvals to be granted on the grounds of special circumstances.

“The NRD and the Home Ministry must establish a specific SOP regarding the granting of citizenship status under Article 19(2) of the Federal Constitution,” the EAIC said in a statement today.

“The NRD and the Home Ministry must prepare a specific SOP regarding the renunciation of original citizenship by foreign nationals who have obtained Malaysian citizenship status. Given that the Federal Constitution does not recognise dual citizenship, the NRD needs to set a timeframe that mandates the renunciation of the original country’s citizenship and the penalties if they fail to submit proof of such renunciation,” it added.

The Commission added that the NRD should establish guidelines regarding the use of discretionary power by the Registrar-General, particularly for the issuance of birth certificates under Section 10A of Act 299 (Births and Deaths Registration Act), taking into account that the inclusion of this provision under Act 299 is intended to provide clear provisions regarding the power of the Registrar-General to register any birth.

“This discretionary power should only be used after the Registrar-General is fully satisfied that the birth took place based on the evidence submitted, namely after all due diligence processes have been carried out.

“The Immigration Department and the NRD, together with the police, must establish a specific SOP regarding the procedures for handling strict and comprehensive security screening for the purpose of approving entry permits and citizenship.”

The recommendations come after the Commission established a special task force to investigate the issue involving the footballers – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

The Commission said the acquisition of citizenship through naturalisation is a matter involving national interest and security; therefore, the SOPs in force must be monitored for strict compliance by the Immigration Department and NRD.

It added that the report of this investigation has been submitted to the Home Ministry, the Immigration Department, and NRD for further action.

Statements from 15 personnel from various agencies and five public witnesses were recorded. During the course of EAIC’s investigation, the commission learnt that consideration of the conditions to be met to obtain special approval was made within a very short period and in an irregular manner.

The findings include:

“The EAIC Special Task Force also notes that police reports have been made involving the issue of document forgery, which has been ruled as forged by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“In relation to this, it is appropriate that this matter be investigated thoroughly by the relevant agencies and subsequently referred to the relevant parties, given that this issue of document forgery falls outside the jurisdiction of the EAIC under Act 700.”

FAM had lodged a police report pertaining to the doctored documentation saga on Dec 24, 2025. There have been no updates to date.

Fifa, had in September, imposed sanctions on the Football Association of Malaysia and the seven players for breaches of article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC) concerning forgery and falsification.

The world body said FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to Fifa, and in doing so, it used doctored documentation to be able to field the players.

All seven footballers played for Malaysia against Vietnam in the third round of qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on June 10, after which Fifa received a complaint regarding the players’ eligibility.

FAM executive committee resigned on Jan 28 over the ‘doctored documentation’ scandal. This forced the Asian Football Confederation to step in and to carry out an audit that revealed the national body had been operating outside its statutes for more than a decade, with governance, finance, risk management and administrative functions receiving some of the lowest audit scores.

However, no one has been held accountable for the doctored documentation saga to date.