Regarding the case of the Malaysian national team being considered for disciplinary action due to the issue of illegal naturalization of players, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said that it has not yet received any official notification from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about the final handling results. The dossier related to the case has been transferred to the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee for consideration according to regulations.
VFF is still waiting for official information from the continental football management agency before having any assessment or feedback.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan - Member of the Standing Committee and Head of the AFC Competition Committee, VFF President said that when there is official information about the announcement of the penalty related to the Malaysian national team, VFF will officially notify the media agencies.
Currently, VFF is still seriously preparing for the match between Vietnam - Malaysia at Thien Truong Stadium on March 31st. VFF determines the spirit for the players to aim for determination, to achieve the best results in the upcoming match, without being psychologically affected by factors.
Previously, some international sources, including the Malaysian press, said that the AFC may announce the investigation conclusion this week. At that time, the Asian football governing body will clarify the responsibility of the Malaysian Football Federation as well as related individuals.
Notably, some information circulated on social networks that the AFC defeated the Malaysian team 0-3. However, no official announcement has been made. The AFC's homepage has also not posted any announcement.
Previously, on the morning of March 16, AFC Secretary General Windsor Paul John spoke out to explain the handling of the case of the Malaysian team. According to him, this case has similarities with the case of Timor-Leste before when it was related to the player's naturalization dossier, but the circumstances of the violation were different.
Mr. Windsor Paul John said that Timor-Leste's violations were only discovered after the tournament ended. Therefore, AFC is forced to apply disciplinary measures in the following tournaments.
Meanwhile, the case of Malaysia was discovered when the tournament was still taking place. Therefore, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee will consider and apply handling measures within the scope of current regulations, including the possibility of canceling the match result and defeating with a score of 0-3 for matches where players are not eligible to play.
The AFC Secretary General also emphasized that all disciplinary decisions must be based on the provisions of the current law and cannot exceed the authority of the court. Relevant parties still have the right to appeal if they do not agree with the decision of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.
In necessary cases, the case may continue to be brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for consideration.
