TMJ Asks Why Foreign Documents Trusted Over Malaysia’s NRD In FIFA Case
Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim said the questions undermine Malaysia’s sovereignty of its laws.
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Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has questioned why certain parties have chosen to trust foreign documents over those from the National Registration Department (NRD).
For example, a foreign document says their grandfather was born there but ours states he was born here. But a question suddenly arises, ours isn’t correct.
Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim
TMJ remarked that if they do not trust Malaysia’s registration department, they may not be Malaysians either. He said the questions undermine Malaysia’s sovereignty of its laws and put everyone’s Malaysian citizenship to question.
He was addressing the controversy over the alleged document fabrication of seven naturalised national footballers.
TMJ also criticised those who became overnight experts on the issue while ignoring real problems happening in the Malaysian football scene.
He pointed out how no one asked why Malaysia’s football scene is not growing, especially the issues concerning unpaid salaries for football players.
He gave another example: He gave RM500,000 to the Penang FA when they asked because the Penang FC did not give money to Penang FA for grassroots programmes.
However, he said everyone focused on the document fabrication issue when the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) approved the said documents.
READ MORE: TMJ Claims FIFA “Broke Their Own Rules”, Assures No Rakyat Money Will Be Used
A refresher on the controversy
On 26 September, FIFA suspended seven naturalised players on Malaysia’s national football team Harimau Malaya.
The seven players were: Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
They were fined about RM10,000 each and banned from all football-related activities for 12 months. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was also slapped with a RM1.85 million fine.
The issue came about after FIFA’s disciplinary committee received complaints that the documents concerning the naturalisation process of the seven players were doctored so the players could take part in a 4-0 win against Vietnam in June during the Asia Cup qualifiers.
FAM has filed an appeal which FIFA had rejected in early November 2025. FIFA will now launch a formal investigation into FAM’s internal operations and notify ‘’competent criminal authorities’’ of Malaysia, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Spain. These are places where the players’ grandparents were allegedly from in the contested documents.
After the appeal was denied, FAM requested to bring the case before the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
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