The entire executive committee of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) resigned amid a scandal involving seven foreign-born players on the national team. FIFA accused FAM of forging citizenship documents to let these players compete for Malaysia. FAM said the resignations would "ensure that any necessary reforms may be undertaken without distraction or perceived conflicts, and with a renewed basis of trust." This mass exit was to "safeguard the reputation and institutional interests of FAM" and to avoid further damage to Malaysian football. Until a new team is formed, FAM's operations will be handled by a small group led by its secretary-general with help from the Asian Football Confederation. FIFA fined the seven players and suspended them for 12 months, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) lifted this suspension recently. The CAS will give its verdict on their eligibility by late February. Meanwhile, the players have returned to their clubs for training. The scandal began after Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in June. FIFA's probe found that FAM changed birth certificates to claim the players' grandparents were born in Malaysia. In reality, the grandparents were born in Argentina, Spain, and other countries. FIFA called this "pure and simple, a form of cheating." Besides fining the players, FIFA also penalized FAM 350,000 Swiss francs and annulled three match results as 3-0 losses. FAM said the issue was only an "administrative error" and insisted all players were legal Malaysian citizens. However, FIFA rejected their appeal and initiated official investigations for forgery in five countries. CAS’s temporary lift of suspension means the seven players can now play again while the court reviews the case. This case highlights a growing trend among Southeast Asian countries recruiting foreign-born players to boost their football teams. Malaysia alone granted citizenship to 23 foreign footballers since 2018, aiming for sporting success in the region.