FIFA receives complaint regarding five naturalized Malaysian players

07/10/2025 12:45:00 PANDATV

FIFA is said to have obtained a formal grievance from an unnamed source about the playing status of five Malaysian naturalized players.

According to sources, just one day after the match between Malaysia and Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the world football governing body (FIFA) officially accepted a complaint regarding the legitimacy of the eligibility of five players on the Malaysian national team.

Specifically, the names mentioned include Gabriel Felipe (Brazil), Rodrigo Julian Holgado (Argentina), Imanol Javier Machuca (Argentina), Jon Irazabal Iraurgui (Spain), and Hector Alejandro Hevel (Netherlands).

According to documents released by FIFA, the complainant filed the petition based on grounds to believe that some foreign-born players do not meet the criteria to represent the Malaysian national team.

The complaint alleges that these players:

Recently relocated to Malaysia and joined domestic clubs only a short time ago.
Were naturalized and debuted for the national team in an unusually brief period.
This has raised doubts about the legality of the naturalization process and the related documentation.

FIFA nhận khiếu nại về 5 cầu thủ nhập tịch Malaysia 717680 — FIFA receives complaint about the eligibility of five naturalized Malaysian national team players

In response, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has officially launched an investigation according to regulations to verify the accuracy of the records and the legitimacy of the playing status of the mentioned players.

Ultimately, FIFA’s sanctions were formally imposed on the Malaysian national team as well as the country’s Football Association (FAM). Accordingly, the five named players along with two others were banned from football activities for 12 months, and FAM was fined. This is the initial penalty FIFA issued since the investigation began, but it did not forfeit the two 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches, including the 4-0 victory over Vietnam.

Immediately following FIFA’s ruling, FAM promptly responded and asserted that it will file an appeal against FIFA to clear the players’ names, also claiming that the organization’s accusations lack sufficient evidence to convict.

Once FIFA’s official decision is announced, the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Disciplinary Committee will step in to assess the case and determine appropriate sanctions for FAM’s violations.

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