GEORGE TOWN: The government will wait for the independent investigation led by former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif to run its course before deciding on any further action over the FA of Malaysia’s (FAM) registration of seven heritage players, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said.
She said the Cabinet had held discussions on the issue, echoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s earlier remarks.
“I agree 100 per cent with what the Prime Minister said — let the investigation complete first.
“Once Md Raus completes the investigation, I will have a look at the report, and then we will act accordingly.
“We are the stakeholders investing money into Malaysian football, and we definitely want to find out what actually happened and how we can avoid this from happening again,” Yeoh told reporters after attending the Penang Badminton Association’s 100th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the Setia Spice Convention Centre in Bayan Lepas on Saturday (Nov 22).
On Nov 21, Anwar said there would be no cover-up in the scandal involving FAM’s registration of seven heritage players, describing it as a major issue that must be handled through proper procedures.
FAM appointed Md Raus as the chairman of an independent committee to investigate documentation issues involving seven Harimau Malaya heritage players who were sanctioned by world governing body FIFA.
On Nov 3, FIFA’s appeal committee upheld the penalty imposed by its disciplinary committee against FAM and the seven heritage players for offences related to falsification of documents under Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
FAM was ordered to pay a fine of CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM11,000).
The seven players (Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel) were also suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities. — BERNAMA
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