Home minister defends NRD's clean sheet over 'heritage' players

Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has defended the National Registration Department’s (NRD) decision to produce birth certificates for the grandparents of seven “heritage” footballers embroiled in a citizenship controversy.

Pointing to Section 10(a) of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957, the home minister told a press conference that the legislation empowers the department’s director-general with the power to register births if the officer is satisfied with the evidence produced.

For the matter at hand, Saifuddin said information on the birth of the grandparents of the seven players was submitted to the birth register after the director-general approved the evidence and details presented during interview sessions.

Saifuddin did not detail the specifics of the "evidence" submitted by the players in their requests for the birth documentation, nor did he disclose matters discussed during the interview session with the NRD director-general.

Maintaining that all information for the birth certificates was submitted by the players themselves, the minister insisted that the NRD director-general had not erred in his decision to register the grandparents’ birth.

In response to a question on whether the department stands by its stance on not having committed any mistakes in the process, Saifuddin said: “There’s no need for us to go that far… under the legal requirements, there’s no basis for us to go there.”

The minister also maintained that the NRD had not detected any falsification of documents on the matter, emphasising that all seven players fulfilled the constitutional requirements to be granted citizenship.

However, he explained that due to rules by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa), the naturalised players applied for evidence of their Malaysian heritage in order to play for Harimau Malaya.

This, the minister said, is because Fifa requires evidence that imported players were either born on the territory of the relevant football association - in this case, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) - their mother or father was born here, or their grandmother or grandfather originated from here.

“When Fifa said there was document falsification, it didn’t refer to documents from us (NRD). We only produced the birth certificate issued under Section 10(a). I used authoritative sources… to obtain citizenship, there’s no requirement for grandparents’ birth certificates,” he added.

Fifa’s grounds of judgment

Saifuddin’s comments came after Fifa released its grounds of judgment behind its sanctions against FAM and the seven disputed players, with the global football body finding that the grandparents of the players were not born in Malaysia.

Fifa’s revelation that it had acquired the original birth documents of the players’ "Malaysian-born" grandparents, which contradicted the allegedly doctored documents submitted by the Malaysian side, has since garnered widespread calls for accountability.

Various quarters have also cast doubt on the NRD’s verification of the players’ supposed Malaysian heritage.

Previously, in a post on X, Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim provided a copy of a witness statement from NRD director-general Badrul Hisham Alias dated Sept 19.

In the letter, Badrul confirmed that the NRD was proceeding with the naturalisation of seven applicants.

“Through this process, the NRD was unable to retrieve the original handwritten birth record from the historical archives. Accordingly, in line with administrative practice, NRD issues an official copy based on the evidence adduced that a birth had occurred,” Badrul added.

Minister’s discretion

Earlier today, Saifuddin told the Dewan Rakyat that he had exercised his power granted under the Federal Constitution to consider the seven "heritage" footballers as fit to be granted citizenship.

On Sept 26, Fifa announced that it had imposed sanctions against FAM and the seven players for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code on forgery and falsification.

Fifa said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to feature in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.

Fifa also determined that FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players was also slapped with a 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,500) fine.

The players, Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano, were also suspended 12 months from all football-related activities.

Reporting by Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain, Hariz Mohd, B Nantha Kumar

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