KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has dismissed speculation that it is preparing to step in and run the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), stressing that it has no authority to take over an independent member association.
AFC said intervention is only possible if it is formally invited, or if Fifa suspends FAM.
The clarification follows reports that FAM's executive council may resign en bloc to prevent the association from being suspended by Fifa over the doctored documents scandal.
The case saw FAM and seven heritage footballers fined and suspended by the world body. FAM has since appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"We are not like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). We are not an enforcement agency, and we cannot take over any affiliate," AFC general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John told Twentytwo13.
"I do not know where this is coming from. It is wide of the mark. AFC cannot simply step in and take over a football association. It is not in our statutes.
"It is different if Fifa suspends FAM. If that happens, then we can step in to help run the association through a Normalisation Committee."
A Normalisation Committee oversees the day-to-day affairs of an association, restores governance structures, statutes and elections, and brings the body back into compliance with Fifa rules. The confederation typically oversees or administers the process on Fifa's behalf.
Alternatively, John said FAM could invite AFC and Fifa to assist in resolving its internal issues before any suspension occurs.
"No one has spoken to us about this. We must be invited to help. It cannot be a case of acting unilaterally and making decisions on behalf of a national association," he said.
"The question that must be asked of FAM's executive committee is this: what do they want? Do they want AFC to help Malaysia reform its national body, clean house and put everything in order?
"If that is the case, they can invite AFC and Fifa to assist. We are ready to help. The keyword is invite – we cannot take over."
On Sept 26, 2025, Fifa's Disciplinary Committee imposed sanctions on FAM and seven players for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, relating to forgery and falsification.
The seven players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
Fifa said FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries using doctored documentation to field the players.
FAM was fined CHF 350,000, while each player was fined CHF 2,000 and handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, effective from the date of notification.
FAM also lodged a police report last month after its independent investigation committee failed to resolve the case. Police have since identified two suspects believed to be involved in the forgery of documents submitted to Fifa.
