SHOCK: AFC announces unprecedented heavy penalty for Malaysia

AFC Secretary General warns Malaysia will face severe sanctions from FIFA.

Malaysian football is heading towards a dark period if the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is suspended following the scandal involving forged documents related to seven illegally naturalized players. AFC Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John emphasized that serious consequences will follow if this harsh penalty is enforced.

This means that no club from the Malaysia National Championship (M-League) will be allowed to represent the country in international tournaments such as the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) or ACL II.“If FIFA suspends FAM, then all national teams and clubs will be barred from competing outside Malaysia,”he said.

He explained that although the Malaysian domestic league can still continue, the competition will not receive any recognition from global or Asian football federations.“This is a very serious situation that no country wants to face,” he added.

Previously, FIFA’s Appeals Committee upheld the initial disciplinary decision to suspend seven players for 12 months and fine them due to forged birth certificates. Afterwards, FAM reportedly took the forged documents case involving the seven national players to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland as a last resort.

Currently, attention is focused on the upcoming CAS decision; if it is unfavorable to FAM, FIFA may propose additional, stricter sanctions, including suspending FAM’s membership due to the scandal.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) recently officially responded to the naturalization scandal involving Malaysian footballas Southeast Asian public opinion continues to closely follow every development. According to CAS confirmation, the appeal from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has been accepted, but the review process is still in the document exchange phase and no hearing date has been set yet.