The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) continues to face great pressure from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regarding the scandal of illegal naturalization of players.
According to a Malaysian newspaper, AFC Secretary General - Seri Windsor Paul John has once again asked FAM to make a final decision on whether to appeal to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) or not, as there is not much time left for FAM.
The AFC said that if FAM chooses to appeal, the procedures at CAS must be accelerated to ensure the conclusion can be completed before March 31, 2026 - the time frame for the closure of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. The AFC hopes the case will be handled as soon as possible, in order to issue a disciplinary decision soon.
Meanwhile, Malaysian press believes that the human resources crisis and system violations at FAM have become serious, and FIFA will likely send the binh thuongzation Committee to take over the operation of this agency.
Not only stopping at the competition issue, AFC is also monitoring a second incident related to the process of submitting and handling fake documents. If violations are discovered, many senior FAM officials could face a long-term ban on football activities.
The AFC said it would leave FAM fully responsible for choosing the direction, but also stressed that Malaysia would narrow down the time to handle the crisis.
Notably, domestic public opinion is pessimistic about the appeal choice, saying that this only prolongs the reform process, while the core issue of Malaysian football needs to be corrected immediately.
