'Heritage' players: NRD chief defers comment pending conclusive report

The National Registration Department (NRD) today refused to further comment on the national football team's "heritage" players issue pending a conclusive report into the scandal.

Its director-general Badrul Hisham Alias said they will address all concerns and allegations after the report is released.

"We will answer this later. After the report is out, we will address the issue because inconsistency can complicate (the matter)," he told Malaysiakini when met during an event in Sungai Buaya, Rawang.

Badrul (above) was asked to clarify concerns raised surrounding the “heritage” players issue, which caused the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) to sanction the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players for submitting falsified documents on the players' ancestral lineage.

Fifa also questioned NRD's procedures when issuing birth certificates to the footballers, which was one of the documents required to prove their eligibility to compete as Malaysia’s “heritage” players.

The players - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel - were found guilty of violating Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC) related to document falsification.

Subsequently, FAM formed an independent investigation committee (IIC) to probe who had purportedly falsified the documents.

However, IIC's investigation hit a roadblock, with crucial documents withheld and implicated parties refusing to cooperate, leading the committee to urge FAM to lodge a police report.

Police have since launched an investigation into the matter.

For the record, on Oct 16 last year, the police said it was not investigating the alleged forgery of documents involving the “heritage” players despite a report lodged by Urimai secretary Satees Muniandy, citing “no elements of a criminal offence”.

Ready to cooperate with authorities

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, during a press conference at the same event, also refused to comment when asked to confirm whether the alleged falsified documents came from NRD or otherwise.

READ MORE: Revisiting Fifa's scathing verdict on 'heritage players' saga

According to Saifuddin, he provided a clear explanation about the issue during his recent ministerial statement in the Parliament.

However, he stated that he and the NRD chief are ready to give their full cooperation to any investigation into the matter.

Saifuddin had previously defended the granting of citizenship to the players, saying it was done according to procedures and the Federal Constitution.

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