Award-winning journalist Haresh Deol, who has been reporting extensively on the ‘doctored documents’ scandal involving seven so-called “heritage players” alleged to have obtained Malaysian citizenship fraudulently, was attacked in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, about 3.30pm today.
He had just concluded a meeting and was walking towards his car when he noticed two burly men loitering nearby.
Sensing trouble, Haresh ran but was knocked down by a third man who was at the scene. He fell to the ground as the two men attacked him. The man who knocked him down used his mobile phone to record the assault.
The attackers fled immediately, and no belongings were taken.
Haresh subsequently lodged a police report at the Brickfields District Police Headquarters and will undergo a medical examination.
Both his elbows were left bloodied, and he suffered bruising to his nose.
National Press Club president Datuk Ahirudin Attan, known as Rocky Bru, strongly condemned the assault on Haresh.
“The attack on Haresh is cowardly and feudal,” said Ahirudin.
“I urge the police the case without fear. We need to get to the bottom of this incident. It is not just about one person, but about the media institution.”
Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) also condemned the assault in the strongest terms, calling for an immediate and transparent investigation. The media group, which advocates for press freedom, emphasised that acts of violence and intimidation against journalists threaten the fundamental principles of democracy and press freedom.
“Physical attacks on journalists not only endanger individual safety but also undermine the public’s right to accurate and pressure-free information,” Geramm said in a statement.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had claimed that seven foreign-born 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 – qualified to represent Malaysia through grandparents purportedly born in the country.
World football’s governing body, Fifa, permits players to represent the nation of their grandparents’ birth.
However, on Sept 25, Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee imposed sanctions on FAM and the seven players for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code relating to forgery and falsification.
Although FAM denied any wrongdoing, Fifa’s Appeal Committee released its full report on Nov 18, calling on the world body’s secretariat to launch an immediate formal investigation into FAM’s internal operations.
“As an initial focus, the investigation must examine the role of the FAM secretary-general (Datuk Noor Azman Rahman) and that of two licensed Fifa agents named in these proceedings – Nicolás Puppo and Frederico Moraes. Their involvement raises serious concerns that merit thorough scrutiny,” the report stated.