Malaysian football is still paying the price for the fraudulent naturalization scheme - Photo: FAM
In mid-March, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially declared Malaysia the loser in their two matches against Vietnam and Nepal in the Asian Cup qualifiers, bringing to an end the controversy that had lasted for more than half a year regarding the illegal naturalization of players in the country's football scene.
But the matter only ended from the perspective of the Vietnamese team, as coach Kim Sang Sik and his players received a well-deserved result.
As for Malaysia, they remain mired in crisis, haunted by the shameful aftermath of a series of fraudulent acts aimed at illegal naturalization. According to Malaysian media, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has yet to provide a clear public explanation for its wrongdoings.
This issue has been raised by major newspapers like the New Straits Times , as well as by experts, fans, and even the famous former Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir to FAM.
And recently, the fans have officially taken action. The leading Malaysian football fan group, "Ultras Malaya," has launched a "phase 1 boycott campaign" against the national team, meaning they will not attend any more of Malaysia's matches.
Through an official statement posted on their Facebook page, the Ultras Malaya group announced that they had submitted three demands to FAM on April 13th.
These three demands include: 1. Revoking the citizenship of 7 players who illegally naturalized themselves, and providing a detailed explanation of the incident; 2. The current FAM leaders resigning, and a comprehensive reform of FAM; 3. Bringing the national team's management back under FAM from an independent state.
After more than half a month of making the three demands mentioned above, Ultras Malaya has officially announced a boycott of all levels of the Malaysian national team in phase 1.
"We have given FAM until August 31st for all parties involved to meet and implement all three of the aforementioned requirements, in order to ensure that Malaysian football is truly independent from narrow interests, governance weaknesses, and long-term damage to the system," Ultras Malaya stated emphatically.
This boycott by the fan club is a major blow to Malaysian football, as it is the oldest, most passionate fan club with tens of thousands of members.
Without fans in attendance, FAM will face many other serious consequences, affecting sponsors, television broadcasters, and direct revenue from ticket sales.