KUALA LUMPUR — Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman has been suspended with immediate effect following a Fifa investigation into the eligibility of seven mixed-heritage Harimau Malaya players, The Star reported today.

FAM deputy president Datuk S. Sivasundaram announced the suspension during a special press conference at Wisma FAM in Petaling Jaya today.

“In relation to the Fifa case, the FAM secretary-general has been suspended effective today. 

“The suspension is to allow an independent body to carry out further investigations into the matter,” Sivasundaram said.

The move follows official information from Fifa regarding a potential breach of player documentation regulations. 

The seven players — Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, and Joao Figueiredo — were found to have violated Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, which deals with the falsification and use of forged documents.

Investigators determined that the players’ claimed Malaysian ancestry was based on individuals who, contrary to submitted documents, were not born in Malaysia.

As a result, FAM has been fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8 million), while each player faces a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs and will be barred from all football-related activities for one year.