PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) have moved to clarify their role following the latest Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling, stressing that matters involving player documentation and citizenship fall outside the league’s jurisdiction.
MFL president Ab Ghani Hassan said the organisation’s role is limited to running domestic competitions and implementing regulations set by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
“As we have said from the beginning, matters involving player documentation are not under MFL’s authority. We are purely the league organisers,” said Ghani.
“We follow the procedures set by FAM as the governing body. Any regulatory oversight must come from them, while MFL act based on the documentation and requirements provided.”
Ghani stressed that the matter of citizenship lies solely with the government.
“I cannot comment on hypothetical matters. The granting of citizenship is under the jurisdiction of the government and the Home Ministry, so I cannot comment on that.
“If their status is revoked by the government, then they are simply no longer citizens,” he said.
He added that there had been no discussions so far with clubs in the Super League regarding the matter.
“There have been no discussions with the clubs on this issue. They all understand the current status of these players,” he said.
Ghani said the league will release a formal statement once the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) disciplinary committee issues their findings.
“If FIFA have suspended the players from official matches, then they cannot participate anywhere, including domestic competitions,” he explained.
“MFL have already issued letters to the clubs involved informing them that these players cannot be fielded in the Malaysia League. The directive has also been circulated to all clubs.”
