Sharing with Malaysian media on the afternoon of March 9, the Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Datuk Seri Windsor Paul, denied speculations that the match would be cancelled if the Malaysian team was banned or suspended from official matches.
The matches must continue. These are contract matches and are commercial, and should not be canceled unless natural disasters force them to do so.
Both the Vietnamese and Malaysian teams have commercial obligations that need to be fulfilled. Matches are also very important to the rankings. Cancellation is never a good word in football.
Previously, CAS maintained almost all the penalties that FIFA previously imposed on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and 7 players accused of violating regulations related to naturalization.
These players are only allowed to train and live at the club, while the case continues to be transferred to the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee for consideration of further handling measures.
Windsor also confirmed that the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee has begun the process of handling the issue after the CAS's ruling.
To inform the public, the Committee will meet to make a final decision after receiving an official response from FAM. We have identified the provisions in the regulation that are violated and have requested them to respond.
The Committee is ready to make a decision on this issue. We expect results within 7 to 10 days. We need to give FAM time to respond, then the Committee will meet and make a decision based on that response and evidence provided by FIFA," the AFC Secretary General shared.
One of the possibilities being mentioned is that the Malaysian team may be defeated 0-3 in two matches in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, including the match against Nepal and the previous victory over the Vietnamese team, due to using players who violated regulations. If this scenario occurs, Malaysia will be deducted 6 points, from 15 points to 9 points.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team will get an additional 3 points from the above match, thereby rising to the top of the group with 12 points and having a wide door to win a ticket to participate in the 2027 Asian Cup finals.
The second leg match between Vietnam and Malaysia is expected to take place on the evening of March 31st at Thien Truong Stadium. In the first leg, Malaysia won 4-0.
