Malaysian football reached its darkest hour just two days before FIFA struck hard against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven naturalized players.
The punishment imposed was 350,000 Swiss francs (1.9 million RM), a 12-month suspension, and the threat of forfeiting Asian Cup qualifying matches.
In just one night, the dream of catching up with Asia’s football elite through naturalization collapsed in scandal, turning Malaysian football into an international joke.