Recently, Mr. Rob Friend - CEO of the Malaysian national team said that Malaysia left the headquarters of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with a positive attitude, after a 12-hour hearing related to the disciplinary action against 7 naturalized players.
We have been preparing for many months for this hearing. All aspects from the process, dossiers to player rights are clarified before the council," Mr. Friend said.
According to this leader, FIFA has its own team of lawyers participating in the rebuttal, while FIFPro and related players also directly participate to defend their views. The appearance of all parties helps the debate process to be more transparent and comprehensive.
However, the Malaysian representative admitted that CAS has not set a time to announce the final ruling. He said that the agency needs more time to carefully review the dossier and arguments from the parties, because this is a case with many complex legal elements.
“We are informed that it may take a few days, even weeks. That is perfectly normal for an appeal at this level,” he added.
Previously, FIFA issued a 12-month suspension for 7 players for violating regulations related to naturalization conditions. The Football Federation of Malaysia also suffered significant financial penalties.
Disagreeing with this decision, the players filed an appeal to CAS hoping for a comprehensive review.
Mr. Rob Friend affirmed that Malaysia believes in the legal system of CAS and hopes that what has been presented in 12 hours of hearings will bring fair results for the players as well as for the country's football.
