Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas, Malaysia (DHRRA) referred to a witness statement from national registration department (JPN) director-general Badrul Hisham Alias on the verification process for the naturalisation of the seven players.
Badrul had clarified that the players concerned were granted citizenship under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution, through special circumstances.
He also confirmed that they obtained citizenship based on their Malaysian lineage through their grandparents, even though the original handwritten birth certificates could not be retrieved from the National Archives.
In a statement, the NGO’s president, Saravanan M Sinapan, said there were clear indications that SOPs had been amended to extend flexibility in the case of the footballers.
“If such measures indeed reflect current administrative practices, then the same recognition must be extended without delay to all stateless children with strong links to Malaysia, by granting them citizenship under Article 19 through the provision for special circumstances,” he said.
He also urged the home ministry to transparently disclose the basis for these flexibilities, particularly the reproduction of documents without verification from the National Archives, and the submission of such documents by the Football Association of Malaysia as proof of eligibility through lineage.
Saravanan said the government’s claim that this aligned with “current administrative practices” was deeply concerning, noting that JPN’s procedures appeared to have been amended internally without parliamentary oversight.
He said the equal application of such flexibility was crucial to address the alarming rise in childhood statelessness, particularly among children of Malaysian parentage who were often denied citizenship due to lack of documentary proof of lineage.
“DHRRA firmly maintains that any policy or administrative decision on citizenship, while constitutionally valid, must be guided by principles of justice, transparency, constitutional integrity, and above all, equal treatment for all,” he said.
Last week, FIFA fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million) and handed the seven players a 12-month suspension, along with individual fines of 2,000 Swiss francs (RM11,000).
The controversy stems from Harimau Malaya’s Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Vietnam on June 10 when seven naturalised players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – were fielded.
FIFA said it received a complaint regarding their eligibility after the win, Malaysia’s first against Vietnam in 11 years.
It said its disciplinary committee found FAM guilty of breaching Article 22 of its code, which relates to forgery and falsification.
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the naturalisation process for the players was done in full compliance with the law and that the decision taken by FIFA against FAM was strictly between the two bodies.
FAM cited a “technical error” by one of its personnel in the documents submitted to field the players in an Asian Cup qualifier.