The Malaysian team is going through the most unstable period in many years as the risk of being stripped of results in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers is becoming increasingly clear.
According to the Malaysian press, the entire team has been asked to prepare mentally for the worst case scenario after FIFA kept the penalty for the naturalization fraud scandal.
If the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decides to award or suspend the competition, the Malaysian team could lose all two matches they have won, or even be suspended for a long time for using unqualified players.
Midfielder Faisal Halim admitted that the players were significantly affected after FIFA concluded that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was involved in the use of invalid papers. He shared that the whole team is having a very good streak of results in the qualifying round, so the possibility of being eliminated or having the result canceled will be a big shock
"We have won all five of our matches. If everything is erased, everyone will be sad and disappointed," submitted.
Malaysia is currently leading Group F with 15 absolute points and has a big advantage after beating Vietnam 4-0 in the first leg. However, if AFC issues a penalty, the ticket to the final round will almost certainly belong to the Vietnam team - the team that is closely following with only 3 points behind.
While the team is anxiously awaiting the verdict, Malaysian sports officials are also under pressure to explain. Sports and Youth Minister Hannah Yeoh said that the Malaysian National Assembly will request clarification of the entire incident in the session on November 20.
She said she is waiting for the Ministry of Home Affairs to report on possible signs related to criminal factors, but has not yet received a response.
The illegal naturalization scandal broke out after FIFA announced that it would maintain the penalty for FAM and required an official investigation into 7 players suspected of using fake documents.
Each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and banned from playing for 12 months, while FAM had to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs. This is considered one of the most serious incidents in Malaysian football in the past decade.
