When will Malaysia be punished for losing to Vietnam 0-3?
If FAM accepts the penalty immediately, Malaysia could be forced to lose 0-3 to Vietnam this November. If FAM appeals to CAS, the result will have to wait until December or January next year.
On the evening of November 3, Vietnam time, FIFA rejected the appeal of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) regarding the use of illegally naturalized players.
The decision to uphold the FIFA penalty is putting Malaysian football at risk of further action from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The two matches under investigation include a 2-0 win over Nepal on March 25 and a 4-0 win over Vietnam on June 10 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Since the Asian Cup is an AFC-organized tournament, the official sanctioning power belongs to the AFC. Under current rules, if the team is determined to have fielded an ineligible player, it will be penalized with a 0-3 loss in the relevant matches.
Initially, AFC General Secretary Windsor John made statements that tended to defend the Malaysian team, which caused him to receive a lot of criticism.
He then had to adjust his stance and confirm the possibility of deducting points from Malaysia in the qualifying round if violations were discovered. On October 30, he continued to declare that the AFC would be ready to impose a penalty immediately after an official decision from FIFA.
Although the AFC can make a decision as early as November 4, the ruling cannot take effect immediately if FAM continues to bring the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
According to the procedure, FAM has 10 days to request a detailed judgment in writing and a further 21 days to file an appeal with CAS.
If FAM chooses to appeal, the entire case could take anywhere from one to four weeks or more, meaning any punishment from the AFC would have to be put on hold until CAS makes its final decision.
However, in case FAM does not continue to appeal, AFC can completely apply the penalty immediately.
In Malaysia, the media and experts are calling on FAM to admit their wrongdoings and quickly close the scandal. If FAM gives up on taking the case to CAS, Malaysia will likely be awarded a loss in both of its previous wins.
Currently, Malaysia is leading Group F in the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup with 12 points, 3 points more than Vietnam. But if they are disqualified in both matches using players who violated the rules, Malaysia will be deducted 6 points, leaving only 6 points.
On the contrary, the Vietnamese team will get 3 more points from the direct confrontation, raising the total score to 12 and rising to the top of the table.
Vietnam also has an advantage in head-to-head goal difference, which can completely change the situation in the group and help the Vietnamese team get a ticket to the next round more easily.