Malaysia's top boss is extremely disappointed after receiving a heavy penalty on the FIFA rankings.

Malaysia's Youth and Sports Minister, Dr. Taufiq Johari, urges FAM to take suitable actions and carry out reforms after the national team's decline on the FIFA rankings.

According to the latest FIFA rankings, the Malaysian national team has fallen 14 places to the 135th position globally. This is their lowest ranking since 2006, after being handed 0-3 defeats in two matches against Nepal and Vietnam during the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Last year, FIFA also canceled three international matches and recorded them as 3-0 losses for Malaysia in games against Cape Verde, Singapore, and Palestine. At that time, they dropped from the 116th to the 121st position.

Malaysia's Youth and Sports Minister, Mr. Taufiq, stated that he shares the disappointment of Malaysians regarding the drop in the world rankings and the controversies surrounding the national team in recent months.

"I also sense the disappointment of Malaysians, especially domestic football fans, regarding this ranking drop, as well as the controversies that have affected the national team over the past few months," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

He expressed hope that appropriate measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents from recurring, and emphasized that all parties must learn from this incident and intensify efforts to strengthen Malaysian football.

"Everyone needs to learn from this incident, and the strengthening of national football must continue to be promoted. I hope appropriate measures will be implemented so that similar incidents do not happen again in the future", he said.

Mr. Taufiq stressed that football development, especially at the grassroots level, must continue, and called on Malaysians to continue supporting the sport despite current difficulties.

"Football development, particularly at the grassroots level, needs to continue, and I urge all Malaysians to continue supporting this sport."

He also stated that the Youth and Sports Ministry will not interfere in FAM's management, adding that the National Sports Council will continue prioritizing efforts to enhance and develop domestic football through the National Football Development Program, with FAM as the strategic partner.