Recently, General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John said that the organization cannot intervene in the case of FIFA rejecting the appeal of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
He stressed that any further action could only be taken if FAM took the case to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Windsor said it took more than a month to submit the case to the CAS and the review process could take months before a final verdict.
He said the AFC will continue to monitor developments but has no authority to make comments or decisions until the CAS takes action.
Currently, the AFC cannot interfere with FIFAs decision. The process at CAS allows FAM and relevant parties to present evidence, ensuring fairness in the trial, said the Windsor General Secretary.
The AFC Secretary General also affirmed that the Federation respects the processes prescribed by FIFA and CAS, considering this the basis for maintaining order, transparency and fairness in international disputes. AFC only plays an observation role, ensuring that members comply with the regulations of the global football system.
Previously, FAM's attempt to appeal the penalty from the FIFA Disciplinary Committee was unsuccessful. FIFA kept all of the original decisions, including a 350,000 CHF fine for FAM and a 12-month ban and a 2,000 CHF fine for seven naturalized Malaysian players.
After FIFA issued a final decision, the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) spoke up, asking FAM to take collective responsibility and coordinate with the authorities to investigate the incident.
KBS affirmed that it will coordinate with the Special independent Investigation Committee headed by former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Tun Md Raus Sharif. The investigation will be supervised by the Office of Sports Committee (SCO), focusing on clarifying the process of verifying naturalization records and related violations.
Minister of Youth and Sports - Hannah Yeoh said that the Malaysian Government needs to handle the issue cautiously to avoid violating FIFA's regulations on banning political intervention in football activities.
She warned that if there are signs of state intervention, FAM could be suspended from its membership, leading to a hunger ban on Malaysian football at all levels, from the national team to domestic tournaments.
Ms. Hannah believes that if that scenario happens, the entire Malaysian football system will be seriously affected, long-term development plans will be disrupted and thousands of players, coaches and personnel in the industry will be at risk of being directly affected.
