PUTRAJAYA, July 10 -- The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) has found irregularities in the citizenship approval process for seven naturalised Malaysian footballers and has urged the Home Ministry and related agencies to tighten procedures and introduce clear guidelines.

The commission said it received complaints over the approvals and subsequently set up a special task force under Section 17 of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Act 2009 to investigate. The probe involved the National Registration Department (NRD), Immigration Department, Royal Malaysia Police and the Football Association of Malaysia, with statements taken from 15 officers and five civilian witnesses.

EAIC's findings concluded that while the Feder...