Former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has alleged that “influential individuals” may be behind the document forgery scandal involving naturalized players from the Harimau Malaya football team, recently exposed by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Dr. Mahathir said the emergence of document falsification allegations at the international sporting level suggested the involvement of individuals with significant political or administrative power.
“There are people who can be investigated even when they’ve done nothing wrong — but those who are actually guilty are spared. This is what I mean by selective law enforcement,” he said.
“Someone so powerful seems to be able to commit wrongdoing and get away with it. That’s exactly what Vietnam raised in their statements.”
Referring to FIFA’s findings that several players’ birth records had been altered to indicate Malaysian heritage, Dr. Mahathir did not mince words.
“The players’ real birthplace was in Argentina, but the documents claimed they were born in Penang. To write that ‘they were born in Penang’ is a clear lie,” he said.
The former prime minister further argued that the international attention drawn by the scandal indicated that the individuals involved were not ordinary figures.
“No, this isn’t sabotage against Malaysia. It was done by someone who believes they can escape punishment because they think they are above the law,” Dr. Mahathir remarked.
“It’s embarrassing that imported players representing Malaysia have now sparked global controversy.”
Dr. Mahathir concluded by calling for integrity both in politics and in sport, warning that credibility cannot be built through deceit.
“Whether we want to win elections or football matches, we must do it the right way — not by cheating or fabricating stories,” he stated.
The scandal erupted after FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found discrepancies between the official birth certificates of several naturalized Malaysian players and the documents submitted by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). The findings led to fines and suspensions for the players and penalties imposed on FAM.
FIFA’s report suggested that some players’ documents listed birthplaces in Malaysian states such as Melaka and Penang, whereas the original records showed their origins in Argentina, Spain, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
Credit Photo : FB Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad
