Malaysian fans are celebrating wildly after receiving an extremely joyful ruling from AFC.

Malaysian fans are truly living in festive days as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officially confirms that Johor Darul Ta'zim Club is not affected by FIFA's sanctions.

Malaysian football has just experienced a shock when FIFA issued a 12-month suspension ban against 7 naturalized players due to document fraud involvement.Among them, three key pillars of Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) are Joao Figueiredo, Hector Hevel, and Jon Irazabal. However, fears about a forfeiture scenario quickly dissipated after firm statements from AFC, igniting celebration flames among the palm country's fan community.

AFC Secretary-General - Windsor Paul John, stated that FIFA's eligibility sanctions only apply at the national team level.For club-level competitions within the AFC system, there are no strict nationality criteria like for the national team, so JDT has not violated any regulations.

This ruling allows JDT to preserve its 3-1 victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the AFC Champions League Elite Round 1/8, despite strong reactions from the Japanese club.

Immediately after the news was announced, Malaysian social media exploded with thousands of positive comments. Fans feel proud because their "beloved team" is not only strong on the field but also legally solid. Many excited supporters shared: “Justice has been served, JDT is the irreplaceable pride of Malaysian football!”.

Another fan commented confidently: “JDT's class now far surpasses the regional level; we are writing history on the continental stage that no one can stop.”. Some other opinions focused on encouraging the home team before the return match: “Go forward, boys, show all of Asia the spirit of the Southern Tigers!”.

Nevertheless, joy is accompanied by warnings. Currently, JDT is still under "scrutiny" in the 2025/2026 Southeast Asian Cup due to allegations of using more foreign players than permitted.

However, at this moment, the support from spectators for the club is extremely immense. “No matter any challenges, we always stand behind JDT, because it is the symbol of Malaysia's fighting spirit!” — one account receiving thousands of likes wrote. With solid backing from fans and a favorable ruling from AFC, JDT is more confident than ever on its journey to conquer Asian heights.