The former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president said the responsible parties must strive to rectify the situation out of love for football, enabling the sport to rise above the problems plaguing it.
At the same time, he called for all parties to give space to the investigation process on the issue so that it can be carried out fairly.
“To be fair, let the process take its course. Let the truth prevail. Let the truth come out from the responsible parties,” he said at the “Walk With Al-Sultan Abdullah: The King of Sports” event at the Merdeka Stadium here today.
On Monday, Fifa rejected the appeal by FAM and the seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
The Fifa appeals committee upheld the penalty imposed by the body’s disciplinary committee against FAM and the seven players for offences related to document forgery under Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code.
FAM was ordered to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million) while the seven players were each fined 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM11,000) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.
FAM and the players have 10 days to request the full written judgment and 21 days to file an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
FAM acting president Yusoff Mahadi said the association would write to Fifa to obtain the full details and written reasons for the decision before determining the next step for submitting an appeal to CAS.
Sports legends
Al-Sultan Abdullah was accompanied at today’s event, which gathered 150 invited guests including several national sports legends, by Tengku Ampuan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
The sports legends included Santokh Singh and Soh Chin Ann (football), Rashid Sidek and James Selvaraj (badminton) and Leong Mun Yee (diving).
The event began with Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah taking part in a Zumba session before circling the track of the iconic venue, followed by a meal with the guests.
The idea for “Walk With Al-Sultan Abdullah: The King of Sports” came from the ruler himself as a way to express appreciation for the sportsmen and women who once served the country.
“We really miss the old-timers. This idea actually originated from me after frequently visiting the mosque next door, Masjid Al-Sultan Abdullah, and noticing the tall building (Merdeka 118) and this iconic stadium, Merdeka Stadium.
“So, I came up with this idea to walk here, and why walk alone? Well, let’s invite the legends, sportsmen and former athletes, and all parties involved to remember this Merdeka Stadium from a long time ago,” he said.
Al-Sultan Abdullah is also open to the idea of making this event an annual affair.