Malaysian media quoted Mr. Taufiq Johari as saying that the AFC is receiving and handling the incident, so Malaysia will continue to monitor developments before making a specific decision. According to him, the review process of the AFC disciplinary body is still ongoing.
Previously, on March 5, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced a ruling upholding FIFA's sanctions against FAM and 7 players involved in the case of using invalid papers during the naturalization process.
According to the ruling, these players are still allowed to train, live and participate in unofficial matches at the club level. However, violations related to the use of unqualified players for the national team are still maintained according to FIFA's previous decision.
After CAS's ruling, the case has been transferred to the AFC's Discipline and Ethics Committee for further consideration. AFC Secretary General - Mr. Windsor Paul John said the assessment process could take 7 to 10 days before making an official conclusion.
According to AFC's disciplinary regulations, the use of unqualified players may lead to a 0-3 defeat in related matches, and additional disciplinary measures such as points deduction or fines are applied to the federation and violating individuals.
However, as of March 13, AFC has not yet announced the official decision for FAM and related players, although the case has been transferred to the federation's disciplinary body.
Minister Taufiq Johari said that the Malaysian Government does not directly interfere in the internal affairs of the sports federation, because these organizations must operate under the independent management mechanism of the international sports system. However, he affirmed that the country's sports management agency is coordinating with FAM to exchange solutions for football development in the coming time.
He said that some programs within the framework of the National Football Development Program (NFDP) will continue to be implemented to strengthen football training and development at the grassroots level.
Malaysian media commented that after the AFC made the final decision on disciplinary action against FAM and related players, it is likely that violating players may face additional handling measures, including the possibility of being reconsidered for nationality.
