Malaysia is accused of using legal delaying tactics to postpone imposing sanctions against Vietnam.

The legal battle between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and FIFA is entering a new, tense phase with developments that could directly jeopardize the resolution of irregularities in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Notably, regional media have sharply criticized this action, viewing it as a deliberate delaying tactic to avoid penalties related to the match against the Vietnamese national team.

The tactic involves delaying tactics and attempting to appeal to the Swiss Federal Court.

Although the appeal is currently with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sports lawyer Erman Nik Roseli has just revealed a controversial scenario: FAM could continue to take the case to the Swiss Federal Court of Arbitration (SFT) if it receives an unfavorable result from CAS. This is the highest judicial body with the power to overturn sports rulings, but the actual probability of success is a mere 6%.

This move immediately drew strong reactions from the Indonesian press.SuperballThis raises questions about FAM's true intentions: are they seeking justice or simply trying to stall for time to harm the Vietnamese team? The continuous appeals create a legal stalemate, preventing the disciplinary decisions from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from being enforced.

This directly impacts the results of the Vietnamese national team.

The core of this dispute lies in Malaysia's two 0-3 defeats against Vietnam and Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2025. According to regulations, if sanctions were applied immediately, the group standings and rankings of the teams involved would change significantly. However, by pursuing the lawsuit to the end, FAM created a "bottleneck" preventing AFC from officially recognizing these results.

Analysts argue that exploiting legal loopholes to delay the tournament not only complicates its organization but also erodes the spirit of fair play. If FAM takes further action at the SFT, the wave of criticism from the Southeast Asian football community will undoubtedly intensify, threatening the reputation of Malaysian football internationally.

Statistics and the possibility of reversing the situation.

• Competence:The Swiss Federal Court (SFT) only reviews procedural errors, not the professional merits of the CAS.
• Success rate:Only about 6% of cases are approved by SFT for reversal of rulings.
• Current status:The AFC is awaiting the final ruling to finalize the 0-3 scoreline for Malaysia's opponents.

It is clear that, despite the slim legal hopes, FAM's persistent pursuit of higher courts is seen as more of a tactical calculation than an effort to change the nature of the case. This not only affects the Vietnamese national team but also sets a bad precedent for compliance with FIFA regulations in the region.