Malaysia grants citizenship to 23 foreign-born footballers since 2018
Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has revealed that 23 foreign-born footballers have been granted Malaysian citizenship
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (MNTV) – Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has revealed that 23 foreign-born footballers have been granted Malaysian citizenship through naturalisation since 2018, stressing that all approvals were made “in line with constitutional provisions and legal procedures,” The Sun reported.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Kangar MP Zakri Hassan, Saifuddin said seven of the approvals were granted recently. He added that since he assumed office, 49,000 citizenship applications have been submitted, with about 6,000 still pending.
The minister outlined four constitutional pathways to Malaysian citizenship:
- By operation of law (Articles 14 and 30)
- By registration (Articles 15(1), 15(2) and 15A)
- And by naturalisation (Article 19)
Under Article 19, foreign nationals may apply for citizenship if they meet three key requirements — a minimum residency period, good character verified by security vetting, and proficiency in the Malay language.
Saifuddin noted that under Section 20(2)(c) of the Second Schedule, Part III of the Constitution, the home minister may waive or shorten the residency requirement. Section 20(1)(e), he added, allows flexibility for applicants who live abroad but may still qualify as residents.
On language proficiency, the minister said the benchmark was recently eased from Level 8 to Level 2 for specific groups, such as senior citizens. “For naturalisation, the applicant must at least understand when spoken to,” he said.
He stressed that the naturalisation process was not limited to athletes, noting that citizenship had also been granted to “gymnasts, badminton coaches, scientists, doctors, engineers and CEOs.”
Addressing the FIFA sanctions against seven naturalised footballers accused of falsifying Malaysian heritage documents, Saifuddin clarified that the government’s role ends once citizenship is granted. FIFA alone determines eligibility to represent a country, he said, based on birthplace, ancestry, or continuous residence.
FIFA imposed 12-month bans on seven players and fined Malaysia after its 4-0 win over Vietnam in the Asian Cup qualifiers, alleging inconsistencies in their ancestry claims. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has denied any wrongdoing and lodged an appeal, asserting that all players obtained citizenship lawfully under Malaysian regulations.
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