In the announcement, the AFC affirmed that it is closely monitoring the incident and is well aware of the seriousness of the incident, especially as the above incident could impact the fairness and reputation of tournaments in the AFC system, including the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The Asian Football Confederation also said it will conduct a comprehensive assessment based on current regulations, after FIFA completes the handling process.
Previously, FIFA determined that the Football Federation of Malaysia had sent illegal documents during the verification of the playing status of 7 naturalized players including: Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holcado, Imanol Secreton Machuca, Joao Vitor Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Alejandro Hevel.
These players participated in the match between Malaysia and Vietnam on June 10, 2025 in the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.
Accordingly, FAM was fined 350,000 CHF (about 11.5 billion VND), while each violator received a fine of 2,000 CHF and was suspended from all football activities for 12 months.
The case has now been transferred to the FIFA Football Court for further assessment of the players' legal status, thereby making a final ruling.
