• Entire executive committee of Football Association of Malaysia resigns amid scandal.
• FIFA fines FAM $400,000 for using false documents for foreign-born players.
• Players’ suspensions lifted temporarily by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
• FAM's appeal against FIFA's sanctions was rejected, leading to resignations.
• Ongoing investigations into FAM's governance and procedures are expected.

The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) resigned on Wednesday, January 28, amidst a serious scandal over the eligibility of foreign-born players utilized in Asian Cup qualifiers. This unprecedented move follows accusations that FAM used forged documents to claim these players had Malaysian ancestry, significantly impacting the credibility of Malaysian football following a 4-0 victory over Vietnam in June, which prompted FIFA to launch an investigation, according to SCMP and Channel News Asia.

FIFA responded by suspending seven foreign-born Malaysian players for a year and imposing a fine of $400,000 on FAM for the use of incorrect documentation. FAM appealed this sanction, but FIFA later rejected it, emphasizing that the association did not take appropriate disciplinary action, as detailed by Al Jazeera and BBC.

The resignation of the executive committee is aimed at enabling FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to review FAM's operational and governance issues without distraction. Acting president Yusoff Mahadi stated that this decision represents a voluntary move to protect the association’s integrity and address any concerns regarding adverse consequences for Malaysian football as a whole, according to Channel News Asia and BBC.

In a related development, the Court of Arbitration for Sport temporarily lifted the suspensions on these seven players, allowing them to participate in football activities pending further review of their eligibility. The players, some of whom were naturalized from Argentina, Brazil, and Spain, had been accused of violating FIFA's regulations, which are intended to prevent the exploitation of nationality rules to gain competitive advantages, according to SCMP and Al Jazeera.

The fallout from this scandal has raised calls for thorough investigations into FAM's governance, as fans and officials are calling for accountability from both the association and governmental agencies that facilitated the questionable citizenship processes for these players, as reported by BBC and Al Jazeera.