Could Malaysia face the same fate as the national team with 12 illegally naturalized players?

Malaysian football faces the threat of a competition ban similar to Timor Leste’s case, following FIFA’s dismissal of FAM’s appeal over seven naturalized players participating unlawfully.

The issue involving seven foreign-born players in Malaysia’s national team has escalated after FIFA’s Appeals Committee denied the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal.

FAM is now preparing to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seen as the “last hope” to overturn this unfavorable ruling. However, experts fear that if unsuccessful, the Malaysian team could face severe consequences similar to Timor Leste in 2017.

At that time, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) suspended Timor Leste from the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers after discovering that the Secretary General of Timor Leste’s Football Federation, Mr. Amandio de Araujo, had forged naturalization documents for 12 players. As a result, all 36 matches (29 organized by AFC and 7 under FIFA’s system) were annulled.

According to Mr. Effendi Jagan Abdullah, CEO of Action Football Asia (M) Sdn Bhd, it is possible that Malaysia’s national team could face a similar scenario if CAS upholds FIFA’s decision.

“The AFC will act based on their regulations once the case is concluded. The punishment could involve point deductions or a competition ban, just like what happened to Timor Leste. If that happens, Malaysia will almost certainly miss the 2027 Asian Cup, and their FIFA ranking will also be severely impacted,” Mr. Effendi commented.

From the AFC side, Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John stated that the organization will wait for the final ruling from CAS before taking any action.

Currently, FAM is completing procedures to bring the case to CAS, involving seven players: Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garcas, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

If CAS upholds FIFA’s ruling, Malaysian football will face one of its biggest crises ever, potentially causing the national team to lose its chance to participate in the Asian Cup and inflicting long-term damage to the team’s reputation.