AFC directly cites the regulation, 99% chance Vietnam team wins 3-0 against Malaysia

The Malaysian national team may face a 0-3 defeat sanction by AFC against Vietnam for breaching player eligibility rules, according to AFC's disciplinary regulations.

Malaysian football is at risk of receiving disciplinary sanctions from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) following a scandal concerning the eligibility of some naturalized players. Under current regulations, the Malaysian team is likely to be handed a 0-3 defeat in some matches of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, including the match against Vietnam.

According to Article 25 of AFC's disciplinary code, penalties may include annulling match results and awarding a 0-3 loss to the violating team. Article 56 outlines disciplinary measures for players or federations, but does not empower the disciplinary committee to impose penalties beyond the stipulated framework.

Speaking at a press conference at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on March 16, AFC General Secretary Windsor Paul stated Malaysia's case shares some similarities with the scandal previously involving Timor-Leste. However, he affirmed the two cases are not entirely identical in nature due to differing contexts of the violations.

Mr. Windsor Paul explained: “These regulations do not authorize the disciplinary committee to impose penalties exceeding the permitted scope. In Timor-Leste's case, the violation was only discovered after the tournament had concluded. Once a tournament ends, retroactive penalties cannot be applied. Instead, sanctions must be imposed on subsequent tournaments. That is why Timor-Leste was banned from the next Asian Cup qualifying cycle. Meanwhile, the situation of the Malaysian national team is different.”

According to AFC leadership, issues concerning the seven naturalized players of Malaysia were discovered while the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers are still ongoing. Therefore, the governing body can apply disciplinary regulations directly affecting the results of the relevant matches. “It cannot be said that Timor-Leste's case and FAM's case are the same, as the contexts are completely different”, Mr. Windsor Paul emphasized.

The AFC General Secretary also confirmed that all final decisions will be reviewed by the disciplinary committee based on existing regulations. "All decisions can be appealed, even brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Therefore, the committee must be very cautious and can only act within the scope of its authorized powers", Mr. Windsor said.