FIFA declares 3 football matches as losses for Malaysia, including 4 Sept friendly against S’pore
The Singapore national football team’s defeat to Malaysia on 4 Sept has been declared a 3-0 win for the Lions by world governing body FIFA.
FIFA had deemed that ineligible players were fielded, said the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in a statement on Wednesday (17 Dec).
Source: Football Association of Singapore on Facebook
Malaysia fielded ineligible players for 3 football matches, says FIFA
The punishment came after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee met on 12 Dec.
It found that FAM had breached its disciplinary code by fielding ineligible players in three international matches, namely:
- a 1-1 draw with Cape Verde on 29 May
- a 2-1 win over Singapore on 4 Sept
- a 1-0 win over Palestine on 8 Sept
All three games have now been declared as 3-0 losses for Malaysia.
FAM was also fined 10,000 Swiss francs (S$16,250).
S’pore was defeated 2-1 in KL
Singapore was in fact defeated 2-1 in the friendly match on 4 Sept, which took place at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Source: Football Association of Singapore on Facebook
Malaysia went ahead in the 25th minute from a goal by Stuart Wilkin, according to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).
Things went from bad to worse for the Lions in the second half when Malaysia’s second goal was scored in the 54th minute by Joao Figueiredo — one of the players named as ineligible by FIFA.
Source: Football Association of Malaysia on X
Substitute Ilhan Fandi grabbed a consolation goal when he blasted a powerful long-range effort into the bottom corner in the 72nd minute.
Source: Football Association of Singapore on Facebook
However, it was not enough to prevent Singapore from falling to defeat.
While the match was a friendly, it counts towards Singapore’s FIFA ranking.
FIFA claims FAM doctored 7 players’ birth certificates
The FIFA decision is the latest punishment for Malaysia in an ongoing saga over alleged forged documents.
On 26 Sept, FIFA said FAM had used doctored documentation in its eligibility enquiries for seven players, so that it could field them in its games.
It thus suspended all seven players from football-related activities for 12 months and fined each of them 2,000 Swiss francs (S$3,250). FAM was also fined 350,000 Swiss francs (S$567,000).
FAM submitted an appeal that was rejected on 3 Nov, with FIFA subsequently releasing a 63-page report saying that FAM and the players had used forged or falsified birth certificates of the players’ grandparents to prove they were eligible to play for the national team.
FAM had also acknowledged that certain members of its secretariat made “administrative adjustments” to the players’ birth certificates, FIFA said.
Source: Football Association of Malaysia on Facebook
However, these alterations were done without the knowledge or authorisation of the Executive Committee, General Secretary or the players themselves, FAM had claimed.
FIFA added that it would launch a formal investigation into the internal operations of the FAM, aiming to identify those responsible for the falsification of documents, among other things.
On 8 Dec, FAM said it had submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) about the case.
Also read: Football Association of Malaysia investigated for doctoring birth certificates of foreign players
Football Association of Malaysia investigated for doctoring birth certificates of foreign players
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Football Association of Singapore on Facebook and Facebook.
