KUALA LUMPUR: Fifa has slapped the FA of Malaysia (FAM) with fresh penalties involving three international friendly matches.
In a statement today, FAM confirmed it had received the latest sanction from Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee, which convened on Dec 12 to deliberate on a case involving the fielding of ineligible players. The identity of the players were not revealed.
The meeting, chaired by the committee’s deputy chairman Jorge Palacio, found that FAM had violated Article 19 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (2025 edition) by fielding ineligible players in the following three Tier 1 international matches:
Malaysia vs Cape Verde at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium, Cheras, on May 19, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Malaysia vs Singapore at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, on Sept 4, which ended in a 2-1 win for Malaysia.
Malaysia vs Palestine at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri, Johor, on Sept 8, which ended in a 1-0 win for Malaysia.
“The Disciplinary Committee decided that Malaysia shall be declared as having lost all three matches by a score of 3-0,” the statement read.
“In addition, FAM has also been ordered to pay a fine of CHF10,000 (RM51,414).
“FAM will submit a written application to obtain the grounds for the decision from the Fifa Disciplinary Committee before considering the next steps to be taken concerning this matter.”
Yesterday, the Independent Investigation Committee (IIC) probing the doctored documentation fiasco involving FAM and seven players said it could not conclusively determine who had falsified the documents.
The investigation highlighted serious failures in oversight, due diligence and administrative control within FAM, which allowed the incident to occur without detection.
The committee, chaired by former Chief Justice Tun Raus Sharif, advised FAM to lodge a police report, take internal disciplinary action where oversight failed, and implement structural reforms. Its recommendations included registering and accrediting agents, enforcing strict procedures for notarised documents, and ensuring operational units remain under proper supervision even when granted autonomy.
The IIC also recommended that FAM’s Disciplinary Committee investigate suspended general secretary Datuk Noor Azman Rahman to determine whether he failed to exercise the expected level of oversight, stressing that this did not imply his personal involvement in the falsification.
Previously, Fifa’s Appeal Committee confirmed on Nov 3 that FAM must pay a CHF350,000 fine for submitting doctored documentation for seven players in an Asian Qualifier against Vietnam in June, a match Malaysia won 4-0.
The seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – remain banned from all football activities for 12 months and were each fined CHF2,000. FAM has since taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
