Saifuddin: It’s purely a football issue | Daily Express Malaysia

SANDAKAN: Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic) said that all citizenship matters, including applications involving football players, are handled strictly in line with the Federal Constitution.
He said the Fifa decision to act against FAM over player nationality issues has nothing to do with the ministry, but is strictly between the world football body and FAM.

“Citizenship by naturalisation is under the jurisdiction of the Home Affairs Ministry. In the Constitution, it is provided for under Article 19(1),” he said.

He explained that every application goes through a thorough process at ministerial level, chaired by the ministry’s Secretary-General. This includes document checks, interviews, biometric collection and verification.

“An applicant cannot live abroad without ever being in Malaysia and then immediately apply for citizenship. 

“The requirement of presence in Malaysia is fundamental. The process is not simple and takes time because of the scrutiny involved,” he said.

Saifuddin added that the ministry only handles citizenship matters, while FIFA’s action against FAM is purely a football issue.

“All our decisions are based on the Federal Constitution, particularly Article 19 on naturalisation,” he said, adding that lineage claims are also verified, such as family ties to Malaysia in states like Malacca, Penang, Kuching or Kota Kinabalu.

He was speaking at a press conference after inspecting the implementation of RON95 (BUDI95) in Sandakan on Saturday.

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