KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has voided two of Malaysia’s Asian Cup qualifying matches after ruling that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) fielded ineligible players.
The affected matches were Malaysia vs Nepal at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, on March 25, 2025, which Malaysia won 2-0, and Malaysia-Vietnam at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on June 10, 2025, which Harimau Malaya won 4-0.
The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee has ruled that Malaysia will forfeit both matches with 3-0 defeats, in accordance with Article 25.1 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code.
According to a FAM statement, AFC has also fined the national body US$50,000.
“We will submit a written request for the grounds of the decision from the AFC Disciplinary & Ethics Committee before considering the next course of action regarding this matter,” FAM said in a statement.
As it stands, the national team will not qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. By losing the six points from these matches, the team will only have nine points.
Vietnam will move to 15 points, giving it a six-point buffer with only one match remaining. Only the top teams in each of the six groups advance to the tournament.
Malaysia was penalised for the ‘doctored documentation’ scandal that saw seven players granted citizenship to play for Harimau Malaya.
However, on Sept 26, 2025, Fifa found that FAM and seven players were guilty of breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC) concerning forgery and falsification.
The seven are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
FAM was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 350,000 to Fifa and the footballers have each been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 2,000 to the world body.
The players were further sanctioned with a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, effective from the date of notification of the decision.
After losing its appeal, Malaysia took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, on March 5, CAS upheld Fifa’s decision.
CAS, however, ruled that the ban should only apply to matches and not to all football-related activities. This means the players can resume training with their respective clubs.
