Malaysian football faces a double crisis: Scandal involving official documents and AFC sanctions.
FAM will report to the police the case of 7 naturalized players using fake documents, putting the Malaysian national team at risk of a 0-3 forfeit loss against Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The fake documents scandal and the risk of losing the case.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is facing a serious crisis on two fronts: a scandal involving falsified documents for naturalized players and a heavy financial penalty from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
According to Acting President Yusoff Mahadi, FAM will officially report the case of the seven naturalized players using forged documents to the police on December 22nd, following a meeting of the Executive Committee. This decision was made based on a recommendation from the Independent Commission of Inquiry (IIC), after the commission discovered signs of legal violations but could not identify the mastermind.
The incident involving players like Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, and Rodrigo Holgado resulted in a 12-month ban. More seriously, the Malaysian national team faces the risk of a 0-3 forfeit loss in their matches against Vietnam and Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This would occur if their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is unsuccessful, after FIFA rejected their appeal and ruled against Malaysia in the related friendly matches.
Financial penalty from AFC
Besides the personnel crisis, FAM also had to bear a financial penalty of 50,962 ringgit (approximately 328 million VND) from the AFC. This stemmed from violations during the match against Nepal on November 18th.
Specifically, the Malaysian team started the match late in both halves. Furthermore, star player Faisal Halim, despite being named Man of the Match, refused to attend the mandatory post-match press conference. This behavior resulted in Halim being fined approximately 263 million VND, and the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) also bears joint responsibility due to poor management.
These successive troubles are posing a major challenge for FAM, forcing the organization to undertake a comprehensive reform to restore fan confidence and stabilize national football, with a deadline to resolve the matter at CAS in March 2026.
