The Football Association of Malaysia has once again been penalized by the AFC.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was fined 1250 USD (around 4,900 RM) by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) due to a delayed application for approval concerning an international friendly.

This decision was issued by the AFC Disciplinary Committee via an official announcement on February 25.

The violation pertains to a friendly match between Negeri Sembilan FC (NSFC) and the Timor-Leste national team held on November 9 last year.

This match served as a warm-up for Timor-Leste ahead of their Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Tajikistan.

FAM is not the only national football association to be penalized for the late submission of international match approval requests.

Other associations that have also been fined include: the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA), and the Korea Football Association (KFA).

In the aforementioned match, NSFC, then coached by Nidzam Jamil, defeated Timor-Leste 2-1, with a brace from national team striker Luqman Hakim Shamsudin.

In the early hours of February 27, the hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded, but Malaysia must wait further for the verdict concerning the appeal filed by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

According to sources, the hearing proceeded as scheduled in Lausanne, Switzerland on February 26 (Thursday), and CAS may take up to a week to issue its final ruling.

It is understood that the CAS arbitration panel will conduct a thorough review of the submissions and evidence before reaching a decision.

FAM is appealing the sanctions imposed by FIFA on seven dual-heritage players over allegations of falsified documents related to their eligibility to play for the Malaysian national team.

The CAS panel is expected to provide a detailed written explanation for its decision, which is also a reason for the delay in announcing the verdict.

The Star has sent an email to the CAS communications office, headed by Ms. Vanessa Tracey, seeking clarification and will provide updates upon receiving a response.

Seven players—Joao Figueiredo, Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, and Rodrigo Holgado—were suspended by FIFA in September 2025 over allegations of document forgery.

Subsequently, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) appealed FIFA's decision, but the appeal was dismissed, leading them to take the case to CAS.

On January 28, the players were granted a provisional stay of execution by CAS, allowing all seven to return to play immediately while awaiting the final ruling from CAS on their appeal.