Malaysian football holds its breath awaiting the AFC's verdict

05/11/2025 18:51:00 PlaymakerHub

After a prolonged period, the FIFA Appeal Committee has ultimately rejected all appeals by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), maintaining the sanctions against FAM and the fraudulent naturalization cases involving at least seven Malaysian players who took part in the 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

According to FIFA’s decision, FAM and the players listed are fined specific amounts and each player is banned from playing for at least one year. Specifically, FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 CHF (approximately 11.5 billion VND); each of the seven players must pay 2,000 CHF (around 66 million VND) and are prohibited from participating in any football activities for 12 months.

FIFA did not address the matches themselves but focused solely on the invalid naturalization documentation. However, this ruling is only from FIFA; the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has yet to deliver its final decision.

Generally, cheating in sports results in a forfeit loss and sometimes even the stripping of medals or titles, if applicable. The 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches fall under the AFC’s jurisdiction, and AFC will certainly implement a solution. Vietnam is awaiting a firm and unbiased verdict, regardless of the fact that the AFC headquarters is located in Kuala Lumpur.

After FIFA dismissed FAM’s appeal, the AFC will be responsible for issuing the penalty for Malaysia’s national team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Photo: Tuấn Phạm

Assuming the results of Malaysia’s matches in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers remain unchanged, including the 4-0 victory over Vietnam in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian team holds a significant advantage in terms of goal difference and head-to-head record against Vietnam. Even though the second leg against Vietnam has not yet taken place, the advantage of the 4-0 first-leg win is clear and difficult to overcome.

In past encounters between the two teams at all competition levels, there have been wins, losses, and draws, but never such a large goal difference.

Before the AFC officially announces a penalty for Malaysia’s national team, Vietnam’s immediate task in the race for direct qualification in Group F is to try to accumulate and maximize goals against Laos in the return leg, then naturally to win against Malaysia by as large a margin as possible at home.

FIFA and AFC still prioritize goal difference first, followed by head-to-head records and fair play points. Malaysia’s current goal difference is +13, while Vietnam’s is only +4, a considerable gap; however, if AFC rules Malaysia to forfeit 0-3, the situation becomes simpler.

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