PETALING JAYA: Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has responded on social media following the latest ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), saying he is prepared to face legal action if there is credible evidence against him.
Johor Darul Ta’zim owner, who was overseeing the Harimau Malaya national team replied to an X (Formerly Twitter) post, wrote: "Setuju! Saya ada cadangan yang lebih baik. Beramai ramai take me to court with whatever evidence. Please." (Agreed! I have a better suggestion. Take me to court with whatever evidence.)
The tweet was posted by a user name MrS (MrIbnusaif), who shared the press release from CAS and wrote.
"TMJ kena bertanggungjawab atas kepalsuan ni, kami tak lupa, nak bagi alasan isu dalaman takkan lah acc X kena hack dengan hacker untuk bagitahu dah jumpa pemain warisan. Ni bukan kes 1MDB Najib yang sah mahkamah tak boleh terima akal alasan beliau. (TMJ has to be responsible for this falsification, we do not forget. To allegedly give a reason of internal issues, do not tell me the account was hacked by someone to tell that they have found heritage players. This is not Najib’s 1MDB case, which was legit that they can accept his reasoning).
The post appeared to be a response to criticism circulating online after the CAS verdict related to the seven suspended players.
The exchange has drawn attention online as Malaysian football fans continue discussing the implications of the CAS decision.
CAS have partially upheld an appeal by seven footballers sanctioned for falsifying documents in an eligibility case involving the FAM, 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.
However, a separate appeal by FAM was dismissed, meaning the governing body must still pay a fine of 350,000 swiss francs (RM1.8mil).
