According to the latest announcement from FIFA, the Malaysian team has dropped 14 places to 135th in the world, their lowest ranking since 2006. This is an inevitable consequence after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) stripped the Malaysian team of victories against Nepal (2-0) and Vietnam (4-0) in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers for using players against regulations.
Last year, FIFA also canceled three international matches and recorded them as 0-3 losses for Malaysia after the national team was found to have used fake papers to naturalize seven football players born abroad.
The affected matches were the 1-1 draw with Cape Verde, the 2-1 win against Singapore and the 1-0 win against Palestine, and the ruling caused Malaysia to drop from 116th to 121st place.
Taufiq said he shared the disappointment of the Malaysian people about the decline in the world rankings and the controversy surrounding the national team in recent months.
Sharing with Malaysian media, Minister of Youth and Sports Taufiq Johari said: "I also feel the disappointment of the Malaysian people, especially domestic football fans, about this relegation, as well as the controversies that have affected the national team in recent months.
Mr. Taufiq expressed hope that appropriate measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents from recurring, and said that all parties must learn from this incident and strengthen efforts to strengthen Malaysian football.
Everyone needs to learn from this incident and national football consolidation needs to be further promoted. I hope appropriate measures will be taken so that similar incidents do not recur in the future," he said.
Mr. Taufiq emphasized that football development, especially at the grassroots level, must continue, and called on the people of Malaysia to continue to support this sport despite the current difficulties.
He said that the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports will not interfere in the management of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), and added that the National Sports Council will continue to prioritize efforts to strengthen and develop domestic football through the National Football Development Program, with FAM as a strategic partner.
Mr. Taufiq also called on all parties to facilitate FAM, with the support of AFC, to identify and implement internal reforms, including holding a congress to elect a new leadership.
In the immediate future, the Malaysian team will have a match with the Vietnamese team - the team ranked 103rd in the world. If they win the match, the Malaysian team will definitely increase in rank.
