KUALA LUMPUR — The Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) woes with FIFA are not over yet, as the national body is still facing another case before the world football governing body.
On Monday, FIFA’s Appeal Committee rejected FAM’s appeal in the heritage player forgery case, upholding the 12-month suspensions imposed on seven naturalised players and fining FAM CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.9 million).
However, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John revealed that FAM is currently involved in two separate proceedings with FIFA, both of which must be concluded before any further action is determined.
“We must understand that FAM is actually facing two cases — one involving FIFA over document falsification, and another currently being heard at the FIFA Tribunal,” he was quoted as saying by Harian Metro.
He explained that the case before the FIFA Tribunal focuses on the eligibility of the heritage players to represent Malaysia, with further investigations ongoing.
“The case before the FIFA Tribunal relates to ‘eligibility to represent Malaysia’. Once a decision is made, including any case that may be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), then perhaps AFC can look into what actions it can take,” he said.
The FIFA Tribunal acts as an internal “court” within FIFA, overseeing matters of regulation and conduct in global football. It consists of three main panels — the Disciplinary Committee, the Appeal Committee, and the Tribunal Committee.
In FAM’s case, the matter now falls under the Players’ Status and Eligibility Committee, which is tasked with reviewing the registration documents of the seven players to determine whether they meet the criteria to represent Malaysia.
It is understood that FAM faces three possible outcomes — the sanctions could be upheld, reduced, or even increased — depending on the authenticity of the documents submitted and whether the tribunal finds any intent to deceive during the registration process.
Windsor said the proceedings could take considerable time, as each stage requires thorough scrutiny, especially if FAM later decides to bring the case before CAS.
“So there are still many processes that FAM and the seven players must go through, and the appeal decision is not the end of it,” he said. – November 5, 2025