If not Indonesia or Vietnam, then Malaysia would also denounce the illegal naturalization process.
Public opinion in Malaysia asserts this, believing that the Secretary-General's actions... AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Windsor Paul John said on Astro Arena on the evening of February 9th: "Because there was a protest from Vietnam," there is no argument to be made and it is meaningless, because the most important factor is that "the integrity of Malaysian football has been violated, not the person who exposed it," according to Sinar Harian .
The integrity of Malaysian football was compromised (in the 'illegal' naturalization scandal), not by the person who exposed it.
Photo: Ngoc Linh
According to Sinar Harian : "Instead of the AFC suddenly becoming a 'detective' searching for the person who reported the document forgery, what they need to do and demonstrate their most important role, after overseeing the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to examine governance and management aspects, is to address the core issues and thereby find clues about who is responsible for the document forgery involving the seven 'illegally' naturalized players, which has tarnished the reputation of Malaysian football on the international stage."
Last week, a meeting took place between FIFA, AFC, and FAM, and through a statement by AFC Secretary-General Windsor John Paul, the first phase, which includes gathering statutory documents and personnel policy, was considered an important first step.
The race for leadership in Malaysian football is heating up, with clubs hesitant to use naturalized players.
"If this 'recovery' process by the AFC focuses solely on streamlining administrative procedures without addressing what actually happened during the fraudulent naturalization process, the risk of a historical scandal repeating itself is very high. This serious mistake could ultimately be broadly classified as a systemic error, thus masking the negligence of certain parties, such as the agents and anyone else who should have been held accountable."
"We cannot forget the failure of the previous Independent Commission of Inquiry (IIC), which was unable to identify specific individuals involved. The lack of cooperation from the notary and the player's representative may be acceptable from a legal standpoint, but that does not erase the fact that there were serious shortcomings in supervision and assessment on the part of FAM itself," Sinar Harian emphasized.
Reform without compromise; the AFC needs to fulfill its proper role.
"This is where the AFC's role becomes crucial, and the Asian football governing body has the best opportunity to restore the integrity of FAM. The AFC is understood to have the right to assess the governance and operational structures of member federations, check compliance with statutes and regulations, submit proposals for system improvements, and report the results to the International Football Federation (FIFA)."
The perpetrators behind the controversial forgery of documents that allowed seven Malaysian players to obtain 'illegal' citizenship remain a secret to this day.
Photo: Ngoc Linh
However, it must be acknowledged that the AFC is not a criminal law enforcement agency, and this issue has the potential to go beyond the scope of a simple sports audit. In other words, the AFC may uncover weaknesses, but to name the parties involved and bring them to justice, the intervention of local authorities is needed,” according to Sinar Harian .
This leading Malaysian newspaper also urged the AÀC to focus on its current main objective in controlling FAM to reform governance, which is: "Finding the mastermind, whether or not agents should be involved, depends entirely on FAM's transparency in publicly disclosing all records, including the chain of communication and internal decisions, for thorough scrutiny without concealing anything."
"Therefore, if this task (of the AFC) ends with restructuring without identifying the real causes, the message sent to the public will be very worrying, including regarding the Malaysian football ecosystem and the potential weaknesses for which no one is held accountable."
On the other hand, if the AFC dares to encourage a comprehensive review, tracing the decision-making process to its very core, that could be a major turning point for FAM," Sinar Harian concluded.
FAM and seven naturalized players, including Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel, have been found guilty by FIFA of violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).
The investigation revealed that FAM had submitted allegedly forged documents to verify the players' eligibility to compete, and FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss Francs (approximately 11.8 billion VND), while each player was fined and suspended from playing for 12 months.
FAM's appeal to the FIFA Appeals Committee has been rejected, leaving their last hope in the hands of the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport), with a hearing on February 26th that will decide everything.
Previously, CAS temporarily suspended the 12-month suspension for seven players, allowing them to temporarily return to football activities, but the severe penalties still hang over their heads.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-malaysia-afc-can-tim-thu-pham-khong-nen-do-loi-viet-nam-hay-indonesia-to-cao-vu-nhap-tich-lau-185260214084611313.htm
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