PETALING JAYA, Oct 25 — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has questioned Fifa’s handling of the controversy surrounding Malaysia’s heritage players, describing it as “strange” since the complaint did not come from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).
As reported by New Straits Times (NST), he stated that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had confirmed no such complaint was lodged by the VFF or its senior officials.
“I was informed by the Asian Football Confederation that it did not come from the VFF, not the secretary-general or the president. That’s quite strange that Fifa would even entertain anyone,” he told NST at a press conference today.
“To say the players forged isn’t true at all. They are Malaysians, and that’s in our constitution,” he said.
The former Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president maintained that the players’ eligibility was valid and any issues that arose were merely administrative in nature.
