According to Malaysian newspapers, the country's police are expanding the investigation into the case of suspected forgery of documents related to 7 naturalized players of the national team. The scope is not only limited to direct individuals but also expands to the team management apparatus and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
FAM Acting President Mohd Yusoff Mahadi affirmed that no organization or individual is allowed to stand aside from the investigation. The National Team Management Board is also likely to be summoned in the near future, depending on the working process of the functional agency.
Currently, Malaysian police have temporarily detained at least 8 people to serve the investigation after receiving the complaint in December 2025. The case is handled by the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK), which is determined to be investigated under Article 420 of the Malaysian Penal Code, related to fraud and deception.
Notably, Mr. Mohd Yusoff Mahadi himself has also been summoned to testify. He said that the police are working in the direction of approaching from the highest management level (FAM) before expanding to the national team and other stakeholders.
When asked about the possibility of Malaysian national team CEO Rob Friend being involved, the acting president of the FAM said that the decision is entirely up to the investigating agency. He did not rule out the possibility that the national team management board will be the next target after the police complete the review at the FAM.
The incident became more sensitive in the context that FAM once announced a model of separating the national team from the Federation to operate independently. The plan faced many major questions when the citizenship paper scandal was exposed.
A Malaysian newspaper reported that the investigation process was initiated after the FAM proactively reported, based on the recommendation of the Independent Investigation Committee (IIC) headed by former Chief Justice Tun Md Raus Sharif. This committee was established to review long-standing irregularities in player naturalization records.
Along with legal pressure, the FAM is also facing the risk of high-level personnel fluctuations, as the possibility of holding an extraordinary election congress before August is raised if the current Executive Committee has major changes.
