PETALING JAYA: Former national striker Safee Sali has urged the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) not to stay silent in handling the revelations made by FIFA.
In an Instagram story he posted on Tuesday (Oct 7), the 41-year-old, who won the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2010, said he stands firmly behind the Harimau Malaya team in these trying times.
"FAM must do the work to file the appeal and follow the next steps in the process. Don’t stay silent. Focus on finding solutions, not just on the problems faced," he said.
"Every mistake comes with consequences but what matters most now is how we all give our support to help the team rise again."
Safee also urged Malaysian football fans to stay united, not be swayed by comments or provocations that bring the country down.
"Harimau Malaya will always be our pride," he added.
On Monday (Oct 6), FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee ruled that FAM had submitted forged documents to register seven heritage players.
The committee discovered major discrepancies between the original birth certificates obtained by FIFA and the ones submitted by FAM to support the players’ eligibility to represent Malaysia.
The seven players involved are Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, and Joao Figueiredo.
FIFA found both FAM and the players guilty of breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which pertains to the falsification and use of forged documents in official proceedings.
As a result, FAM were fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8mil), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM11,000) and handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
