Asian Football Confederation to review Malaysia’s FA as officials quit

The Football Association of Malaysia said on Wednesday its executive committee for the 2025-2029 term will resign with immediate effect, as the Asian Football Association conducts an investigation into the organization facing a widening document forgery scandal.

A small team led by the association’s secretary general will temporarily manage day-to-day affairs with the help of the AFC until a new committee can be appointed, he said.

The Kuala Lumpur-based governing body will also conduct an investigation into FAM’s internal management and administrative processes.

“We want to identify the weaknesses and gaps that we can compare to a modern and standard association,” said Windsor John, general secretary of AFC.

No timetable has been set for the review, he added.

FAM is struggling to defend itself against claims by FIFA, world football’s governing body, that it used forged documentation to allow seven naturalized players to participate in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam last year.

In September, FIFA suspended the footballers for 12 months and fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs ($439,257), although the Court of Arbitration of Sport this week granted a temporary stay on the player ban pending an appeal by the Malaysian association.

FAM Acting President Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said on Wednesday that all members of the association’s executive committee, who were appointed 11 months ago, made the decision to resign to protect the integrity of the organization as it seeks to implement reforms and limit further fallout from the scandal.

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FIFA rejected FAM’s appeals and last month annulled the results of three matches involving Malaysia. It also said it would launch a formal investigation into FAM’s internal activities and notify authorities in five countries of possible criminal charges.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has promised transparency in domestic investigations into the alleged forgery, but stressed that the FAM must be able to defend itself.

Published on January 28, 2026