Malaysia imposes an unbelievable penalty in the case of 7 illegally naturalized players

The Secretary General of the Football Association of Malaysia will not get a pay raise over the next two years even though it was confirmed he did not falsify documents related to the 7 naturalized players.

Although Datuk Noor Azman Rahman can officially resume his duties as the Secretary General of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) after the disciplinary review ended, his salary increase will be frozen for two years and the executive committee will evaluate his job performance within six months.

Today, acting FAM president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi announced this. Azman was suspended on October 17 last year following allegations connected to an internal investigation into FAM’s management, particularly concerning the files of 7 naturalized players that led to FIFA sanctions.

The suspension decision came after concerns raised in the Independent Investigation Committee (IIC) report on December 15, which identified administrative errors but found no evidence of intentional document forgery.

“The Independent Investigation Committee (IIC) concluded that Mr. Azman committed no wrongdoing, but he was negligent in management,” said Mr. Yusoff. “FAM’s disciplinary board has imposed sanctions, but decided he can immediately return to his role.”

“We follow the committee’s procedures. Any decision made by the committee must be respected,” the acting FAM president added, explaining the rationale behind reinstating the Secretary General.

Secretary General Azman’s name also appeared in several FIFA documents related to the naturalization issue, raising questions about whether his reinstatement might cause international concerns.

However, Yusoff clarified that this is purely an internal administrative decision. “From FAM’s perspective, this is a decision by the Disciplinary Board. We must respect it, even if FIFA or other external parties have named the offenders,” he said.

FAM reaffirmed that Azman was not involved in forging documents of the 7 naturalized players and that his return allows him to continue managing the association’s daily operations. Currently, the case is being reviewed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FAM appealed FIFA’s sanctions.