Wading into the fiasco for the first time, he described the scandal as a “major issue”.
“We (the Cabinet) deliberated on this, and we said no cover-up – go ahead (with the investigation). This is our stance,” he told reporters here.
Anwar also said that the government was not disputing Fifa’s credibility but that authorities in Malaysia would not act “purely based on Fifa’s findings”.
He agreed with youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh who said last night that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has the right to appeal Fifa’s sanctions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, after the rejection of a similar appeal on Nov 3.
Yeoh told the Dewan Rakyat it was FAM’s decision whether to appeal, and that the association would take advice from its lawyers.
Anwar said he understood public impatience over the scandal, and that the people always wanted to see immediate action.
He compared the case to that of the alleged Sabah mining scandal which was sparked by the release of leaked videos implicating several assemblymen.
“But what do I do? I’m the prime minister. The most I can do is ask the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and attorney-general questions.
“We need to ensure that we have a strong case before we can charge (those responsible).”
FAM and the seven naturalised footballers were penalised by Fifa in September after the world football body said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10.
Fifa said that contrary to documents submitted by FAM claiming that the grandparents of the seven players were born in Malaysia, its own investigation found original records indicating that the grandparents were actually born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million) while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM10,560) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.
The seven players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.