Soosay, who has been temporarily replaced by deputy general secretary Windsor John while the investigation takes place, has been accused of asking another official to hide documents during a review of AFC pratices under disgraced former President Mohamed bin Hammam three years ago.

The claims, made last week by Malaysian newspaper the Malay Mail, came from AFC’s financial director Bryan Kuan Wee Hoong, who gave videotaped testimony in July 2012 that Soosay asked him to "tamper [with] or hide" potentially incriminating documents.

According to the Malay Mail, the video showed a conversation between Kuan and FIFA investigator Michael John Pride, in which the former refers to Soosay’s request.

"Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Dato' Alex Soosay was suspended by the AFC following media allegations which have recently surfaced concerning a case in 2012," read a statement from the AFC.

"A video statement conducted as part of a FIFA investigation was passed to media recently and the AFC has now been able to verify its authenticity."

The results of the audit into AFC practices were never published, but concerns over payments worth millions of dollars were raised after details were leaked.

The AFC filed a report with police days after the taped interview, alleging the theft of financial documents from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, while according to the Malay Mail, Soosay later claimed in a separate police report that Hammam had embezzled nearly $10 million (£6 million/€9 million).

Although Soosay denies any wrongdoing, his predecessor Peter Velappan has called for a thorough independent investigation into the matter.

"I hope the AFC will conduct a really good, professional investigation into all this and if there's anything (against) any of these top officials that appropriate action will be taken," he told the Times of India.

"We have got to protect integrity, we have got to protect good governance."

Soosay, a former player with Malaysian state side Negeri Sembilan, was named AFC acting general secretary in 2008 and officially took up the role in 2009, two years before the end of Bin Hammam's nine-year Presidential reign. 

Bin Hammam was accused of handing out bribes for votes during his native Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, as well as while campaigning for the FIFA Presidency in 2011.  


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