It was previously reported that Uzair Zafran had been barred from competing on grounds that he had withdrawn from several competitions in the past, which had forced MFF to pay a €500 fine.
The 16-year-old was informed of the decision in a letter dated Feb 24.
Uzair Zafran’s father Badroel Rizwan Bahar, who is also the Federal Territory Amateur Fencing Association (FTAFA) president, subsequently appealed against the decision on Feb 27.
The MFF replied to him on March 1, saying the federation would discuss the matter at its next meeting.
When contacted, MFF vice-president Hairi Abdullah, who also heads the selection committee, told FMT that they would “reconsider” Uzair Zafran’s eligibility.
“This is stated in the second letter,” he said, referring to the March 1 letter.
Hairi also dismissed the earlier claim by Badroel that Uzair Zafran had been barred, insisting that he was “not allowed”.
Badroel admitted that the word “not allowed” was used in the letter, but argued that it was equivalent to being barred.
Asked about MFF saying it was reconsidering Uzair Zafran’s participation, Badroel was sceptical.
“As this is a time-sensitive matter, there is no guarantee that MFF will convene the meeting before the registration deadline for transportation and accommodation, which is on March 10,” he said.
Badroel also said they had settled the €500 fine, which could have resulted in his son being blacklisted from competitions.
He, however, criticised MFF’s delay in acting, noting that other countries had already announced their athletes for the world championship.
Asked to comment on the alleged delay, Hairi said it was standard practice for the federation to finalise athlete selection one month before the event to enable it to conduct due diligence.
On Monday, MFF denied allegations of abuse of power and bullying, following claims that it had barred Uzair Zafran from competing in the tournament in China.
It said this after Badroel claimed that MFF had “disproportionately punished” and barred his son from representing Malaysia in the world championship without notice. Uzair Zafran had previously withdrawn from a competition in Greece due to exams and had notified the federation several days before the tournament.
Badroel also claimed the barring of Uzair Zafran from taking part in the world championship in China was influenced by an ongoing dispute on transparency between the MFF and FTAFA.