Malaysia Football Association makes an unexpected appeal to CAS

Although suspended by FIFA, the Malaysia Football Association persists in taking the lawsuit to CAS, with the most recent move being FAM’s plea for mercy from CAS on a particular issue.

Even though FIFA has imposed a one-year competition ban, the Malaysian national team has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), requesting permission for 7 naturalized players to continue playing for their clubs while awaiting the case's resolution.

Harimau Malaya’s legal team officially submitted an appeal to CAS, including a request to allow seven players—Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palmero, Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado, and Facundo Garces—to participate in club matches during the review period. This dossier was sent to CAS on January 8th.

These players have been banned by FIFA since September 2025, accused of falsifying documents to qualify for the Malaysian national team.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) filed an appeal to FIFA on December 8 last year after FIFA upheld sanctions against the association and the involved players. Previously, FIFA rejected the appeals from FAM and the players on November 3, forcing Malaysia to proceed with the case at CAS according to proper procedure.

“We submitted our appeal defense yesterday, meeting the deadline set by CAS,” shared Malaysia team CEO Rob Friend with Timesport.

The CAS submission included a request for provisional measures, a standard CAS procedure, seeking permission for the players to continue playing at the club level while the case is under review.

“This is a request for provisional measures… essentially asking to allow the players to compete for their clubs during the ongoing proceedings,”explained Mr. Friend.

CAS is expected to review submissions from all parties involved, including the players’ lawyers, FAM’s legal team, and FIFA representatives, before deciding on the provisional measures. An initial ruling is likely to be announced within one to two weeks.

“We might know the outcome within one or two weeks. CAS will make the decision,”Mr. Friend stated.“Afterward, they will announce the date for the official hearing, which could be in just a few weeks or might take several months,”

The appeal stems from sanctions imposed by FIFA at the end of September, after the organization found that FAM submitted forged documents to legitimize the eligibility of seven dual-nationality players on the national team.

According to FIFA’s ruling, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (about 1.8 million RM), while each player received a 12-month suspension and a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs (approximately 10,560 RM per player).

If CAS grants the request for provisional measures, these players could soon return to club competition before the final verdict. Otherwise, they will remain suspended until CAS issues a conclusive decision, a process that may take several months.