Ramkarpal Singh said that alternatively, the police themselves could initiate a formal report to kickstart investigations into the matter in view of the damning allegations and findings of fraud by Fifa.
“It is imperative for such an investigation to commence in light of the damning findings of Fifa and, more importantly, to determine if the citizenships of the said players ought to be revoked if they had been obtained fraudulently,” he said in a statement today.
On Tuesday, the committee had urged the Football Association of Malaysia to lodge a police report to enable the authorities to conduct a proper investigation, noting that forgery is a criminal offence.
It said an investigation was needed to establish the origin of the suspected forged documents, and identify those responsible.
FAM and the seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa after the world football body said the association had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10.
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, effective from the date of notification.
On Nov 3, Fifa announced that it had rejected FAM’s appeal against its sanctions “in its entirety”.
FAM has initiated an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with acting president Yusoff Mahadi stating that its legal team had been given until Dec 18 to submit its full written arguments.
The independent committee said, however, it could not conclusively determine who falsified the documents as the certifying notary public did not cooperate with its investigation.
It also said the agents of the seven players could not be located.
Ramkarpal said the committee’s conclusions could not be given much weight, and criminal investigations into the matter by the police must begin immediately.
“No stone should be left unturned as the matter has attracted global attention and the culprits behind this matter ought to be brought to justice,” he said.