Over the past half year, the Malaysian national team has added a series of naturalized players. According to the Football Federation of this country, naturalized players are all of Malaysian origin.
The rapid change in force brought about results, typically the 4-0 victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers in early June.
However, behind that success, the international media still questioned the root cause of the naturalized Malaysian players.
According to Tvonenews, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is facing a penalty from FIFA for allegedly violating regulations on player naturalization. Disway ID also cited information that both FIFA and the AFC have investigated and may send warnings to other ASEAN football federations.
The naturalized Malaysian players are mainly from second-tier clubs in Europe such as England, the Netherlands, France and have been granted Malaysian citizenship in just a few months. Some cases are suspected of forging documents, providing false information about origin and family.
Currently, FIFA, AFC and FAM have not made an official announcement. If it is concluded that it has violated, Malaysia could be eliminated from all FIFA and AFC tournaments by the end of 2027, including the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the 2027 Asian Cup and the ASEAN Cup. Results with the participation of illegally naturalized players (such as the victory over Vietnam) will also be canceled.
