More than just losing to Vietnam, this is the punishment that has Malaysia terrified

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said they have stopped caring about the CAS appeal result and are now only hoping to evade the severest sanction ever imposed by FIFA.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is making every effort to prevent a FIFA suspension, amid the organization’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding FIFA’s sanction against seven naturalized players accused of document forgery.

However, FAM's top priority at this moment is not solely the CAS appeal outcome, but ensuring that the association itself does not get suspended by FIFA. If that happens, Malaysia’s football ecosystem will face severe consequences.

FAM’s Acting President, Datuk Yusoff Mahadi, admitted that Malaysia is deeply worried about the possibility of FIFA sanctions. He said recent remarks by AFC Secretary General Datuk Windsor Paul John must be taken seriously. Previously, Windsor did not rule out the possibility of FAM being suspended due to governance weaknesses.

“Regardless of the CAS ruling, for me, that is not the deciding factor now. What concerns us most is Datuk Windsor’s statement, and that is the issue we need to focus on,” emphasized Yusoff.

“No matter what CAS decides, FIFA still has full authority to suspend or apply other measures based on their own assessment. Therefore, the most critical thing now is to ensure FAM is not suspended,” he added.

After FIFA awarded a 0-3 forfeit loss in friendly matches in 2025 due to using illegally naturalized players, FAM appealed to CAS. The Malaysian Football Association’s goal was to avoid losing matches in the World Cup qualifiers, including the 4-0 victory over Vietnam. However, given the potentially severe sanction FIFA could impose, this is no longer FAM’s priority.

According to NST, one of the solutions being considered to regain FIFA’s trust is a thorough overhaul of FAM’s internal governance. The ideal plan mentioned involves the entire FAM Executive Committee resigning, followed by new elections to restructure, reorganize, and implement corrective measures.

FAM’s reputation has been seriously damaged internationally after FIFA’s decision to sanction and suspend seven Harimau Malaya players for allegedly forging birth certificates and lineage documents to qualify for Malaysia’s national team.

Moreover, FIFA has demanded FAM pay a fine of up to 350,000 Swiss francs (about 1.9 million Malaysian ringgit). The seven players were also fined 2,000 Swiss francs each and banned from all football activities for 12 months.

In this context, Malaysian football stands at a critical crossroads, with FAM compelled to take decisive action to avoid the worst-case scenario from FIFA.