“Not true,” AFC general-secretary Windsor John told FMT.
Earlier this month, FAM acting president Yusoff Mahadi said the national football association’s executive committee was prepared to collectively step down if it would prevent a Fifa suspension in light of the ongoing fiasco surrounding seven naturalised players.
When asked today whether AFC would step in to run FAM’s affairs after Jan 28 as outlined in an Utusan Malaysia report, Yusoff said he did not have any information on the matter.
“FAM’s executive committee is meeting on Jan 28 to finalise a decision on whether we should step down,” Yusoff told FMT.
“I think if we decide to step down, then AFC might get involved (in FAM’s administration). I am not sure if we will approach them to set up an interim committee, or if they will approach us to do so.
“We will know what to do after Jan 28. We want the best for FAM and Malaysian football.”
FAM and seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa last September after the world football body said FAM submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam in June.
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.
Fifa announced on Nov 3 that it had rejected FAM’s appeal against its sanctions, prompting the association to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
An independent committee that probed the case said it could not determine who had falsified the documents, with police since opening their own investigation into the alleged forgery.
Bukit Aman commercial crime investigation department director Rusdi Isa yesterday said two individuals who allegedly falsified the documents submitted to Fifa had been identified, with the department working to confirm their identities and track them down.
“I was not aware of that. I just found out after reading about it in the news,” said Yusoff.
“They have not been updating us about the status of the probe, but this means that their investigation is progressing.”
Yusoff added that FAM expects to receive a reply from CAS regarding its appeal before Harimau Malaya’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on March 31.