Resignations come amid scrutiny of Malaysian football after it fielded foreign-born players in its Asian Cup qualifiers.
Published On 28 Jan 2026
An ongoing crisis surrounding Malaysian football has deepened after the entire executive committee of its football association resigned, the latest blow in a damaging eligibility row over forged documents used to field foreign-born players in the country’s Asian Cup qualifying matches.
The executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) resigned on Wednesday amid intense scrutiny of the country’s football governance.
“The resignations are to safeguard the reputation and institutional interests of [the association] and to mitigate the risk of further adverse consequences that could affect Malaysian football as a whole,” acting FAM president Yusoff Mahadi said.
He said the resignations of the executive committee will “provide the appropriate space for FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to independently assess, review, and, where necessary, address governance, administrative, and procedural matters within FAM”.
All committee members, elected 11 months ago for the 2025-29 term, stepped down with immediate effect in a unanimous and voluntary decision to protect the association’s credibility.
FIFA, the world football governing body, suspended seven foreign-born players for a year in September and fined the FAM $400,000 for submitting false documents claiming they had Malaysian ancestry.
The FAM appealed the sanctions, but a FIFA committee rejected them and issued a scathing report criticising the association for “not taking any discernible disciplinary action”.
It ordered a full inquiry into FAM’s