The information was confirmed by FAM Vice President Datuk Sivasundaram at an urgent press conference held in Petaling Jaya (Selangor state) on the afternoon of October 17. He said the decision to suspend the operation was effective immediately, in order to serve the internal review work.
Mr. Datuk Noor Azman Rahman is one of the most influential figures in the FAM operating apparatus. Before taking on the role of General Secretary, he held many important positions in the field of sports management, was considered an experienced person and actively contributed to the development programs of youth football in Malaysia. However, this incident has severely affected his reputation as well as FAM.
Previously, FAM admitted that there was a "technical error" in submitting the application to register 7 foreign-born players to FIFA. The incident is believed to have stemmed from the incorrect implementation of procedures by administrative staff, causing FIFA to launch an official investigation.
Mr. Noor Azman has publicly accepted responsibility and affirmed that the players involved are all legal citizens of Malaysia, but it is inevitable that the decision will be temporarily suspended to serve the internal inspection process.
FAM has not yet announced who will temporarily take over the position of General Secretary. The federation said it is working with FIFA to resolve the incident, which is considered the biggest crisis in Malaysian football in many years.
Previously, at the end of September, FIFA imposed a heavy penalty on FAM for forging naturalization records of 7 players including Hevel, Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal and Gabriel Palmero. This group of players will be banned from playing for one year.
