Malaysian media report incorrectly on VFF

01/10/2025 10:58:00 soccer

The Star (Malaysia) disclosed that the Vietnam Football Federation sent a report to FIFA only one day after the game, which might have led to FIFA’s penalty against the national team. Nevertheless, this claim is not correct.

As previously reported, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee recently issued sanctions against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players for violating Article 22 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code related to falsifying and forging match registration documents. These players participated in the match between Malaysia and Vietnam during the third round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, held on June 10, 2025, at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Malaysian media are keenly interested in identifying who filed the report to FIFA regarding this matter. Most recently, The Star (Malaysia) suggested that the Vietnam Football Federation was the party that submitted the report to FIFA back in June, immediately after the match ended:

Báo Malaysia tố Việt Nam là phía gửi đơn kiện lên FIFA-714209 — The Star claimed that Vietnam was involved in the FIFA sanction imposed on Malaysia.

"It is known that the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) prepared a report following their heavy 0-4 defeat to Malaysia in the third round of the 2026 Asian Cup qualifiers in Kuala Lumpur on June 10. The report was filed one day after the match, and FIFA launched an investigation that lasted several months before announcing the punishment on September 26."

However, this information from the Malaysian media is incorrect. The investigation conducted by FIFA was independent and had no connection with the Vietnam Football Federation.

Báo Malaysia tố Việt Nam là phía gửi đơn kiện lên FIFA 714210 — The Malaysian national team faces a high risk of a 0-3 forfeit loss

FAM’s acting president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi stated that the national association has begun internal discussions to address the issue, with executive council members being informed during a meeting at the Malaysian Football Association headquarters.

According to regulations, FAM and the players involved have 10 days to request the detailed decision and may also appeal to FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber under current rules. Once FIFA’s ruling takes effect, the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) disciplinary committee will review and decide on further sanctions against FAM’s violations.