KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry says it will study recommendations made by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) to improve how citizenship applications via naturalisation are managed.
In a statement released this morning, the ministry said it respected the role of statutory oversight institutions and would carefully examine every recommendation put forward to strengthen public service delivery and governance.
“Citizenship applications under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution are processed in accordance with the law and undergo thorough scrutiny based on constitutional provisions, relevant legislation, and considerations involving national security and sovereignty,” the statement read.
“Assessments are conducted in collaboration with several relevant agencies, each acting within its respective jurisdiction, before any application is considered.
“The ministry will review the findings and recommendations made by the EAIC together with the relevant agencies, including the National Registration Department (NRD), the Immigration Department and the police, to identify areas for improvement.”
Among the areas to be reviewed are the strengthening of standard operating procedures, documentation, the coordination of work processes, and governance mechanisms in line with public service best practice.
However, the statement made no mention of the doctored documentation scandal involving seven footballers that drew global attention and prompted the EAIC to form a special task force.
The commission made its findings public on Friday, saying the process to naturalise the seven Harimau Malaya footballers was done in a very short time and in an irregular manner.
EAIC urged the Home Ministry and the NRD to review the entire application process and the citizenship documents of the seven naturalised Malaysian football 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.
The commission added that there should be clear guidelines on exercising the discretionary powers of the Home Minister under the law. It said these should take into account the basic provisions in the Federal Constitution that emphasise a period of residence in the country as the basis for certified citizenship, and as a key factor when considering approvals on the grounds of special circumstances.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) lodged a police report regarding the forged documentation saga on Dec 24, 2025. There have been no further updates to date.
Fifa had, in September 2025, imposed sanctions on FAM and the seven players for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code concerning forgery and falsification.
The world governing body said FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to Fifa, and in doing so, had used altered documentation in order to field the players.
All seven footballers played for Malaysia against Vietnam in the third round of qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on 10 June, after which Fifa received a complaint regarding the players’ eligibility.
FAM’s executive committee resigned on Jan 28 over the scandal. This forced the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to step in and carry out an audit, which revealed the national body had been operating outside its statutes for more than a decade. Its governance, finance, risk management, and administrative functions received some of the lowest possible audit scores.
To date, no individual has been held accountable for the falsified documentation saga.
