COMMENT | “Cannot be contacted,” “refused to cooperate,” and “insufficient documents” have long been the convenient excuses trotted out whenever enforcement agencies fail to prosecute wrongdoers.

On Tuesday, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) joined that familiar list.

A four-member Independent Investigation Committee (IIC) released its report, revealing that its probe into the alleged falsification of birth certificates for seven “heritage” players had stalled - crucial documents were withheld, and key individuals simply refused to cooperate.

Was anything else expected? With no power to compel witnesses or to summon officials to produce relevant documents, the IIC turned out to be...