Fifa’s Red Card: Naturalised Players?

 

A storm of denial, questions, and confusion has erupted following sanctions by the world’s football governing body, Fifa, against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players. 

The term “naturalisation” in the footballing context often refers to players gaining a new nationality specifically to play for a country with which they have no prior biological ties, relying solely on the residency or naturalisation certificate.

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Article 19(3) of the Federal Constitution outlines a stringent residency requirement for naturalisation - an aggregate of 10 years out of 12 years, including the 12 months immediately before application. The home ministry’s website also cites a requirement for adequate knowledge of the Malay language. 

In the past, several foreign players were given citizenship. This prompts critical, unanswered questions: 

·                  How many of the sanctioned players had resided in Malaysia for over a decade?

·                  How many possess adequate Malay language skills?

·                 Given that Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship, did these players formally renounce their original citizenships - Brazilian, Spanish, and Argentine to obtain “instant Malaysian citizenship”? 

The team included Corbin Ong (Barbadian father), Dion Cools (Belgian father), Junior Eldstål (Swedish father), Brendan Gan (born in Australia), Matthew Davies (born in Australia), Endrick Dos Santos (born in Brazil), Paulo Josue (born in Brazil), Romel Morales (born in Colombia), Stuart Wilkin (born in England), Daniel Ting (born in England), Darren Lok (born in England), Dominic Tan (born in Singapore), Natxo Insa (born in Spain), and Mohamadou Sumareh (born in The Gambia). 

Like instant noodles, there is also something called instant citizenship – courtesy of the generosity of the National Registration Department and the Home Ministry, who are willing to, not even circumvent, but break the law. 

People have waited for years, if not decades, for their citizenship despite having been born in Malaysia.  The current crisis is not a sudden shock, but foreseeable collision between the pursuit of competitive advantage and the strict, often conflicting, legal frameworks that govern international sport and national sovereignty. 

There is need for a catharsis - to be transparent and admit our mistakes and look for long-term solutions for football in Malaysia. If you ask FAM, they will organise a National “Football Summit”! 

Reference:

COMMENT | Fifa's red card: Naturalised players, national team in crisis,

R Nadeswaran, Malaysiakini, 28 September 2025