Fifa panel says FAM gen-sec’s suspension a ‘PR exercise’

Suspended FAM general-secretary Noor Azman Rahman (right), seen with FAM honorary president Hamidin Amin and Fifa president Gianni Infantino. (gianni_infantino Instagram pic)

PETALING JAYA: A Fifa committee has taken aim at the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) handling of its secretary-general’s suspension, describing the move as poorly defined, inconsistently enforced, and ultimately resembling a public relations exercise.

In its written judgment confirming the sanctions imposed on FAM and seven naturalised players, Fifa’s appeal committee said it was “unimpressed” with the suspension of FAM general-secretary Noor Azman Rahman, noting that the terms and scope of the sanction were neither clearly articulated nor meaningfully observed.

Despite FAM’s references to the suspension in its submissions appealing the sanctions, Fifa’s appeal committee highlighted reports and credible accounts indicating that Noor Azman continued to make public appearances at high-profile events – including functions attended by senior Fifa leaders.

“(This) undermines the credibility of the measure and suggests that it (suspension) was primarily a public relations exercise rather than a genuine governance action,” said the committee.

“When questioned about press reports alleging that Noor Azman was seen and photographed in public with senior Fifa officials during their attendance at a conference in Malaysia the day before the hearing, FAM’s counsel stated that he was unaware of any such public appearance.”

FAM last month defended Noor Azman’s appearance at an event in Kuala Lumpur attended by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, saying the suspended official was present in his personal capacity.

Noor Azman was suspended amid the controversy surrounding allegations that falsified documents were submitted to Fifa on the issue of naturalised players.

FAM deputy president S Sivasundaram said on Oct 17 that the association had formed a committee to probe the matter, with Noor Azman suspended to allow the committee to carry out its duties.

In its written judgment, Fifa’s appeal committee said it “categorically rejected” FAM’s attempt to minimise the seriousness of its conduct by characterising the deliberate alteration of official documents as mere “administrative adjustments”.

The committee said Noor Azman’s acknowledgment in a hearing that members of FAM’s administration “engaged in handling and formatting certain copies of birth certificates… including the altered content” constituted a direct confession of document tampering.

The committee also said Noor Azman’s statement that “these steps were not a substitute for obtaining certified copies or official extracts, nor were they authorised as an official verification process” confirmed that FAM knowingly submitted falsified documents to Fifa in the context of eligibility proceedings.

Fifa’s regulations allow players to represent a country if their parents or grandparents were born there.

Fifa said that contrary to documents submitted by FAM claiming that the grandparents of the seven naturalised players were born in Malaysia, its own investigation found original records indicating that the grandparents were actually born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands.