PETALING JAYA: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will bring their battle with FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after the world body rejected their appeal over the eligibility of seven mixed-heritage players.
In a statement on Tuesday (Nov 18), FAM said they had received the full written reasoning behind FIFA’s decision and would now begin formal proceedings with CAS to “ensure fairness” and defend the integrity of Malaysia’s player eligibility framework.
Its acting president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi said FAM remained steadfast in their commitment to safeguard the rights of players who qualify to represent Malaysia under national laws.
“FAM will begin the process of taking this case to the CAS. This step is taken to ensure justice is upheld and to defend the integrity of the player eligibility process set by the Malaysian government and relevant bodies,” he said, adding that the matter would be pursued transparently and through proper legal channels.
FIFA’s appeal committee, in their 63-page motivated decision released on Monday, upheld every sanction previously imposed on FAM and the seven players, ruling that the use of falsified civil-status documents amounted to a serious breach of football’s core principles.
