Identity of the person who recommended seven naturalized players to the Malaysian national team revealed

A member of the Pahang royal family admitted to having introduced seven Malaysian-origin players to the Football Association of Malaysia, amidst a naturalization scandal that has shaken the region.

The Crown Prince of Pahang state, Prince Tengku Muda Abdul Rahman Al-Haj, also known as Tengku Muda of Pahang, recently admitted that he had played a role in introducing seven Malaysian-origin players to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). This information has attracted significant attention because the aforementioned group of players are directly involved in the controversial naturalization scandal in Malaysian football.

According to Makanbola, Prince Tengku Abdul Rahman stated that his role was limited to the initial step of forwarding the proposals from the players' agents to the association. He asserted that he was not involved in any administrative procedures or official registrations. "Since late 2024, several agents contacted me to propose players of Malaysian mixed heritage for evaluation purposes. I merely forwarded their proposals to FAM for more detailed consideration."

Prince Tengku Abdul Rahman emphasized that these proposals stemmed from the goal of strengthening the national team's squad. He believes that seeking out players of Malaysian descent abroad is a direction that helps expand the talent pool. "Among the players I proposed are seven Malaysian-origin players who have now received rulings from CAS and FIFA. For further information, all of them have been granted Malaysian citizenship legally through government-recognized processes."

According to this prince, the main objective in forwarding the proposals was to provide the association with more personnel options for the national team. He also believes that quality Malaysian-origin or naturalized players can elevate the team's strength."All these efforts were aimed at strengthening the Harimau Malaya squad and raising the national football standards. I believe that Malaysian-origin players and quality naturalized players can bring significant added value to the team."

Prince Tengku Abdul Rahman's statement was made in the context of the Malaysian football naturalization scandal reaching a significant legal turning point. Recently, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced a ruling concerning seven players accused of using fraudulent naturalization documents and invalid eligibility papers.

According to the announcement from CAS, the body "partially upheld the appeal of the seven players against the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), regarding sanctions for falsifying naturalization and eligibility documents." However, CAS still determined that violations had been established and upheld many of the disciplinary measures in this controversial case.

Specifically, "The CAS Panel decided that the seven players will be suspended for 12 months, but this applies only to official matches, rather than a complete ban on all football-related activities." Simultaneously, the appeal from the Football Association of Malaysia was also dismissed, meaning the fine of 350,000 Swiss francs imposed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association remains in effect.