The newly released FIFA report on the naturalization fraud by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is causing great controversy when details related to Rob Friend - who is still introduced by FAM as the national team CEO - appear. However, in FIFA documents, this person is called a "advisor".
During the hearing on October 30 in Miami (USA), FIFA quoted Rob Friend as saying that he worked from Canada, only went to Malaysia for the tournaments, supporting FAM mainly in the fields of expertise and engineering.
This information immediately attracted attention because it did not suit the usual role of a national team CEO - a position that required a regular presence and strong executive power.
The above detail made the Malaysian media question: "Does Rob Friend really hold the responsibility as FAM announced, or only act as a remote consultant?". At the same time, his denial of involvement in the naturalization process of players has increased the level of suspicion.
Under pressure from public opinion, Rob Friend spoke up to affirm that his official title is always the CEO of the Malaysian team. He explained that the description in the hearing was misunderstood and summarized as a advisor in FIFA documents, leading to confusion.
According to the explanation to FIFA, Rob Friend said that the entire naturalization process was handled by FAM itself and that he was not involved in any stage before the penalty was issued on August 22. He was only given support from that time on, mainly to prepare documents for the FIFA work process. The CEO stressed that he was not aware of and had nothing to do with previous violations.
Rob Friend affirmed that he will continue to be associated with Malaysian football because he believes the team has potential for development. He said that the recent silence was necessary to ensure the legal process took place in accordance with regulations and avoid putting pressure on FAM.
