“They came separately as tourists and were spotted kicking a ball on the beach in Langkawi. A hotel manager noticed their skills and alerted football officials. Captivated by their talent, they were whisked to an office, handed MyKads, granted citizenship, and asked to don the famous yellow jersey to represent the country.”

- Anonymous, Kuala Lumpur, November 2025

COMMENT | This fantastical anecdote - part satire and part state-sanctioned delusion - is one of many spun by apologists, some well-placed, defending the so-called “Magnificent Seven,” a group of foreign footballers who received instant Malaysian citizenship courtesy of the Home Ministry (read: the government).

Their defenders argue they should not be punished for submitting false information about their grandparents’ birthplace.

Instead, we are being told these journeymen should be free to continue their globe-trotting careers, exploiting the International Federation of Association Football's (Fifa) “grandfather rule,” which allows foreign-born players to represent countries where their parents or grandparents were born.

But here’s the rub: Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship. If the law had been applied consistently, their Malaysian status would have been revoked.

Worse, this is not just administrative negligence – it is a criminal act. False information was submitted to obtain Malaysian identity and citizenship documents. That is a punishable offence.

Every document submitted to the National Registration Department (NRD) carries...