PETALING JAYA: Newly elected Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Datuk Ab Ghani Hasan has apologised for the doctored documents scandal involving seven footballers and pledged it will never happen again.
Speaking after chairing his first executive council meeting since being elected on Sept 17, Ab Ghani (main image, second from left) said he would meet Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to discuss the episode that caught international headlines last year.
“I would like to apologise to all Malaysian football supporters over the issue involving the falsification of documents relating to the seven players last year,” said Ab Ghani.
“Throughout my tenure with FAM, I am committed to ensuring that this issue will not be allowed to happen again.
“Of course, some of you may ask about the status of the seven players, particularly their passport status. I will be meeting the Home Minister on this matter.
“Issues relating to citizenship and the issuance of passports are outside FAM’s jurisdiction. We will seek clarification and work closely with the ministry on this.”
Fifa had on Sept 26, 2025, sanctioned FAM and the seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – after revealing documents related to their origins were forged.
FAM had lodged a police report over the matter on Dec 24, 2025. However, the status of the investigation remains unclear.
No one has been hauled up over the episode.
Ab Ghani, however, added that FAM was still waiting for the final audit report from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
He said that based on what the association had learned during the previous Extraordinary Congress, FAM had taken note of the matters raised and the areas that needed to be addressed.
“I have also initiated the necessary steps to make changes and implement improvements,” he said.
“Once we receive the full report and the complete list of findings, we will inform the media accordingly.”
Ab Ghani also said he had introduced a new initiative for FAM to implement ISO standards within its management system.
“Specifically, we are looking at ISO 9001, which is important to ensure that our procedures and processes are carried out properly,” he said.
“I hope that with the implementation of ISO, we will have the best possible management and administration, as certified by an independent body.”
Ab Ghani also revealed that secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman would remain in the post until at least the end of his current contract in 2027.
Among the other decisions made during today’s exco meeting was to name chairmen for the various committees.
