Statement that shook Malaysian football

Malaysian football is in turmoil because of the naturalization scandal.

In a chat on Sinar Daily 's Top News podcast, Mr. Mahathir asserted that behind the incident was "a powerful figure who believes he is above the law." According to him, the legalization of seven foreign-born players to play for the national team was "a deliberate attempt to cheat at the international level."

“Their real birthplace is Argentina, but their documents say Penang. They made it up, it was a systematic lie,” he said bluntly.

The former prime minister said the incident exposed selective law enforcement in Malaysia: "There are people who have done nothing wrong but are still investigated, while those who have committed real mistakes are let off the hook."

The scandal erupted after FIFA discovered discrepancies in Malaysia’s player registration documents, stemming from a complaint after a match in June. It concluded that the documents were falsified to legitimize the nationality of a group of players of Argentine and Brazilian origin, allowing them to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Mr. Mahathir emphasized that this was "the action of someone who thinks he can get away with it," and warned of unpredictable consequences if the mindset of winning at all costs continues to exist.

"We want to win, whether it's elections or football, but we have to win the right way. Don't cheat," he declared it a "national disgrace" for Malaysia to rely on foreign players and then get involved in an international scandal.

Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-bo-lam-rung-dong-bong-da-malaysia-post1592752.html