The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has reaffirmed that the ancestry of recently naturalised heritage players has been thoroughly vetted and verified by FIFA, following growing public debate over their eligibility to represent the national team.
Despite their official appearances for Malaysia — including a notable 4-0 victory over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier last month — questions continue to swirl over the players’ Malaysian lineage. Some fans have expressed confusion over unfamiliar names and backgrounds, while others have accused FAM of withholding information regarding their heritage links.
In response, FAM president Joehari Ayub said there is no secrecy involved, and the players’ backgrounds were cleared through FIFA’s procedures.
“FIFA has reviewed everything. We at FAM have strictly followed the procedures and guidelines set by them,” Joehari said.
“If we are required to disclose further details, we have no issue doing so.”
The five newly cleared heritage players — Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo and Rodrigo Holgado — have all been approved by FIFA and played significant roles in Malaysia’s recent success.
Joehari stressed that transparency and compliance are key in player selection, especially for foreign-born individuals.
“If there were any irregularities, FIFA would not have approved them,” he added.
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