COMMENT | What happens when a royal steps in and offers to “save” the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) from International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) sanctions?

On the face of it, the proposal sounds generous, but shouldn’t the move by the Johor regent be closely scrutinised?

There are many potential risks, and this seemingly innocent act should concern every Malaysian football fan, because what may not be obvious at first is that the real cost could be independence itself.

Last September, Fifa imposed sanctions on FAM and seven Harimau Malaya players for alleged forgery and falsification of documents on their naturalisation process.

FAM filed its appeal, but Fifa rejected it and upheld the sanctions on Nov 3.