After FIFA, Malaysia is about to face another penalty following their victory over Vietnam's national team.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will proceed to examine and make a ruling on the infractions by the Football Association of Malaysia.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has recently issued a decision to sanction the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players for breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code related to falsifying and forging player registration documents.

Malaysia’s Football Association will be penalized by FIFA after illegally fielding seven naturalized players in their 4-0 win against Vietnam in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Additionally, these seven players face fines and a 12-month suspension. Their eligibility to represent Malaysia will also be re-evaluated.

Notably, once FIFA’s decision takes effect, the AFC Disciplinary Committee will conduct its own review and issue sanctions concerning the violations by Malaysia’s Football Association.

According to FIFA’s announcement, the Football Association of Malaysia submitted player eligibility documents to FIFA accompanied by altered paperwork to register 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. These players participated in the match between Malaysia and Vietnam’s national teams during the third round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers held on June 10, 2025, at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

After reviewing the evidence, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee decided to fine FAM 350,000 CHF (Swiss francs). Each of the seven players involved was fined 2,000 CHF and banned from football activities for 12 months from the date of the decision announcement. Furthermore, the players’ eligibility issues have been forwarded to the FIFA Football Tribunal for further examination.

According to regulations, the Football Association of Malaysia and the involved players have 10 days to request a detailed decision and may appeal to FIFA’s Appeals Committee under current rules.