PETALING JAYA: Former national youth coach and coaching instructor Datuk M. Karathu has called for stricter accountability for agents and officials who bring questionable players into Malaysian football, urging authorities to take firm action to restore public confidence in the sport.
He gave the comments after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld an appeal by seven footballers sanctioned for falsifying documents in an eligibility case involving the Football Association of Malaysia, ruling that their suspension will apply only to official matches.
In a decision issued in Lausanne on Thursday, CAS confirmed that the players will still serve a 12-month ban but amended the sanction imposed earlier by FIFA, allowing them to continue training and participating in other football-related activities with their clubs.
The seven players involved are Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
FAM has to pay a fine of 350,000 swiss francs (RM1.8mil) for the offense.
Karathu said the agents responsible for bringing in such players should face severe consequences.
"The agents who brought these players in should be banned for cheating the clubs and the sport of football," he said.
"It is likely that the FAM knew who these individuals were, although they have since resigned. The new committee must make a firm decision to ensure this does not happen again."
The former Sri Lanka coach added that those involved should be permanently barred from the sport.
"I suggest strict penalties, including being banished from football entirely and prohibited from entering stadiums," said the former national Under-21 coach in 1991.
"These measures must also apply to the officials responsible. We need to project a clean image, and that requires real enforcement."
Karathu also criticised the previous administration for failing to act.
"FAM officials knew what was happening, and it is a shame that they simply closed one eye," he said.
"Because of this management, the public has lost confidence. Today, Malaysian football no longer draws the crowds it once did."
Recalling earlier years in the local game, he said stadiums used to be filled hours before kickoff.
”When I was coaching, stadiums were packed by 6pm. In Kelantan, by 7pm you could have 30,000 people waiting for the game," said Karathu, who used to coach clubs like Perak, Kelantan and Negri Sembilan in the past.
"The new committee must implement strong discipline to bring football back to what it once was.”
Karathu said the recent issues highlight the urgent need to address whether corruption was involved.
He used the match fixing scandal in the 90s as an example of what the sport should do to repair its battered reputation.
"We may not know exactly whether money was involved. If it did, this has to stop," he said.
He also stressed that coaches must have the final say in selecting players.
"I strongly believe coaches must have the ultimate authority in player selection. This is something we have discussed many times in coaching seminars," he said.
Karathu noted that strict disciplinary measures must be implemented.
"Previously, when players were found to be involved in corruption, they were banned and barred from stadiums so they could not influence others," he said.
"That same level of discipline must now be applied to agents and officials if they are found guilty."
Despite the challenges, he believes the situation can be corrected if decisive action is taken.
"This is a valuable lesson for Malaysian football. If we act now, we can return to normalcy within the next five years," he said.
"Cheating only demoralises teams. We must fix this to save the game."
