Kuala Lumpur, 7 October 2025 – AFC General Secretary Windsor John Paul has, for the first time, confirmed the possibility that Malaysia could be handed a 0–3 loss to Vietnam in the 2026 Asian Cup Qualifiers if their appeal fails.
“Using an ineligible player is a clear violation,” Indonesia’s Bolasport quoted Windsor as saying on October 7. “After the investigation, if it is verified that the player was not eligible to play, the result of the match will be annulled and the victory will be awarded to the opposing team with a 3–0 scoreline.”
According to Windsor, this rule is clearly stated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regulations and continental tournament guidelines. “All disciplinary decisions will be made by the Disciplinary Committee based on the severity of the case,” he added. “If legal procedures are completed and the conclusion deems the registration invalid, the AFC will apply an automatic points deduction.”
Windsor, 64, a Malaysian who has served as AFC General Secretary for the past 10 years, said the AFC would wait for the outcome of the Malaysian Football Association’s (FAM) appeal to FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “Once a final ruling is reached, we will forward the results to the AFC Disciplinary Committee for review according to tournament regulations,” he explained.
The scandal originated on the evening of September 26, when FIFA announced heavy sanctions against FAM and imposed a one-year ban on seven naturalized Malaysian players — Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal (Spain), Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca (Argentina), Joao Figueireido (Brazil), and Hector Hevel (Netherlands) — for falsifying player documents.
On October 6, FIFA released a 19-page detailed ruling outlining evidence that FAM and the seven players had submitted forged documents claiming ancestral ties to Malaysia in order to obtain citizenship.
In the documents, FAM provided birth certificates stating that the players’ grandparents were born in Malaysia — a key factor in obtaining citizenship by descent. However, FIFA later found the original certificates proving their grandparents were actually born in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Spain.
After receiving the decision, FAM was given three days to declare whether it would appeal, five days to submit the appeal, and an additional 10 days to file a request for review. If the case proceeds to CAS, that will be the final stage before the AFC takes disciplinary action.
In its conclusion, FIFA stated that FAM showed “gross negligence,” falsified or manipulated documents, and violated Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. As a result, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately 11.5 billion VND), while each player was fined 2,000 francs and banned from all football-related activities for 12 months.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee emphasized that FAM’s actions undermined the integrity of the global football governance system and the principle of fair play, directly affecting the validity of the Malaysia–Vietnam match. The ruling also revealed that a team filed a complaint to FIFA just one day after the match, though the identity was not disclosed.
Immediately after FIFA’s detailed ruling was released, FAM issued a statement rejecting the accusations, claiming FIFA’s arguments were “inaccurate and unfair.”
FAM asserted that all citizenship documents were legally prepared and verified by domestic authorities and that they only followed the Malaysian government’s lawful procedures. “FAM has no reason or authority to question the government’s decisions. We sought FIFA’s confirmation on player eligibility and acted in good faith,” the statement said.
FAM also noted they were legally bound by the Official Secrets Act 1972 and the Passport Act 1966, which prevent them from disclosing information about passports or nationality verification processes, except to FIFA during case proceedings.
Beyond the national team, Malaysian champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) may also face point deductions or expulsion from the AFC Champions League Elite if found to have fielded ineligible naturalized players. Under AFC Champions League regulations, any team using an ineligible player will automatically lose the match 0–3, face potential disqualification, and incur financial penalties.
The AFC has confirmed it is reviewing JDT’s player registration documents, particularly those sharing names with individuals implicated in the FIFA ruling.
Viet Linh
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