COMMENT | The bravado, relentless declarations of defiance, assertions of innocence, invincibility, and unwavering confidence, have finally collapsed with a resounding thud.

For months, voices from within and outside the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) maintained a posture of bold resistance, dismissing any suggestion of wrongdoing. But yesterday, in Lausanne, Switzerland, that pretence was dismantled.

Over the past five months, millions of Malaysians watched with disbelief as the obvious signs of government collusion emerged. For many, it was the first time they had witnessed, up close, how the law could be bent - and, in some instances, broken - to serve the interests of a select few.

That spectacle came to an end yesterday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld Fifa’s sanctions against FAM and seven naturalised players who had represented Harimau Malaya using false or forged documents.

Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel must now serve a 12-month suspension. Their only reprieve: they may...