Kuala lumpur: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) stated it has not received any official letter from the International Football Federation (FIFA) or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regarding the request to resubmit documents for the country’s heritage players.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman denied all allegations from several parties, emphasizing that all player registration procedures have been fully complied with according to existing guidelines. “As of today, we have not received any letter from AFC and FIFA. We follow all laws. We deny all such statements,” he said briefly when contacted by Bernama.

Earlier, an Indonesian news portal, Disway ID, claimed that if Malaysia is indeed using heritage players illegally, FAM could face strict action by FIFA, including suspension from all tournaments organized by the world governing body, such as the ASEAN Cup. The report also mentioned that the results of matches involving Malaysian heritage players, like the 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers last month, could be overturned into a 0-3 defeat for Malaysia.

FAM had previously stressed that the five heritage players called up to join the Harimau Malaya squad had undergone a strict screening process set by FIFA. The five new heritage players, namely Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo, and Rodrigo Holgado, have received official approval from FIFA to represent the national squad.

Meanwhile, Bernama’s efforts to obtain further clarification from AFC secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John have so far been unsuccessful as he could not be contacted.