Defender Gabriel Palmero - one of the 7 players of the Malaysian national team entangled in a penalty related to the issue of naturalization - is awaiting the final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on his career future.
Sharing with Malaysian media, Palmero said: "I am waiting and I believe everything will be fine. I just want to play football. Everything else is out of my control".
Previously, on September 25, 2025, FIFA issued a penalty banning Palmero and 6 other players from participating in all football-related activities for 12 months due to allegations of forging documents to speed up the naturalization process to play for the Malaysian national team. After this decision, Palmero was also terminated his contract by CD Tenerife club.
However, by January 2026, the above-mentioned group of players had been temporarily removed from the ban after CAS received the appeal and proceeded to review the case. The final ruling is expected to be issued this week.
Despite the controversies, Palmero still affirmed: "I still believe that it was the best decision for me to play for the Malaysian national team. I am very happy and grateful to be here. I receive support from everyone around me. This country has given me all the best things, and I will always be happy to be here. For now, let's wait and see what will happen".
After completing the naturalization procedures in May 2025, this defender has made 4 appearances in Malaysia's colors in international friendly matches, before participating in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.
Currently, after about 3 months of not playing professionally, Palmero has joined Kuching City FC club to continue his career while waiting for a decision from CAS.
