Acting Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president Yusoff Mahadi on Dec. 8 said the federation has submitted its initial documents and now has until Dec. 18 to deliver a full legal argument to CAS headquarters in Lausanne. He emphasized that Malaysia would handle the process “professionally and transparently,” hoping to salvage a scandal that has shaken the country’s football ambitions, the New Straits Times reported.
The appeal comes just weeks after FIFA released a 63-page ruling that stunned Malaysian fans and officials alike.
In the November decision, FIFA upheld its September sanctions and rejected Malaysia’s first appeal, concluding that forged or invalid civil-status documents were used in the registration files of seven foreign-born players: Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Gabriel Palmero, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. FIFA called the violations “a serious breach of the principles of international football,” underscoring how document integrity is central to player eligibility worldwide.
The consequences are enormous. FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs, more than US$435,400, marking the heaviest punishment the federation has ever received. Each player was issued a 12-month ban and an additional fine of 2,000 francs. For a national team that has increasingly relied on naturalized talent to stay competitive, the sanctions strike at the heart of Malaysia’s football strategy.
Public frustration surged last week when a CAS spokesperson revealed they had not yet received any appeal documents from Malaysia, triggering accusations that FAM had been slow or unprepared.
The latest announcement from FAM helped calm the uproar, signaling that the legal process is now underway. Still, experts note that reversals at CAS are rare: FIFA typically submits extensive evidence, and CAS historically shows deference to FIFA’s disciplinary findings unless major procedural errors are proven.
CAS will now begin assembling either a sole arbitrator or a three-member panel, a step that typically takes one to three weeks. A formal hearing is expected one to three months after all documents are received, and a final decision usually follows another one to three months later. In total, the process often stretches five to six months from the moment CAS accepts a case, a timeline that carries real consequences for Malaysia’s competitive future.
Because of that delay, the sanctions will likely still be in force when Malaysia meets Vietnam in their final Asian Cup 2027 qualifier on March 31, 2026.
The Asian Football Confederation has said it will issue any competition-related penalties only after CAS rules, which includes the possibility of awarding Vietnam a forfeit 3-0 win for the June 10, 2025 match if the violations are upheld. Vietnam lost 0-4 in that match.
Comments are closed.