As of November 27, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has not yet provided any information on whether to file an appeal with the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) or not, in the context of further internal problems.
Acting President Yusoff Mahadi has just spoken out about the assault of journalist Haresh Deol, while lawyers have warned of the possibility of naturalized players filing a lawsuit against FAM after the 12-month suspension ends.
According to Mr. Balbeer Singh - President of the Sports Law Association of Malaysia (SLAM), CAS will be the agency that decides the entire process related to the disciplinary decision from FIFA. If FAM fails to appeal, this agency may face a heavier penalty. In contrast, the results at CAS will open the way for 7 naturalized players to consider suing FAM to claim compensation for income affected, if they feel they have been wronged in the process of completing the naturalization application.
However, Mr Balbeer Singh also noted the possibility of the players not being able to sue, because FIFA in its document dated November 18 clearly stated that it was irresponsible to not carefully check personal information, even provide false data or leave the paperwork to the representative. All of these factors will be considered when the CAS makes a final ruling.
Meanwhile, FAM continues to face great pressure after Malaysian public opinion opposed the intention to include the case in the CAS. Many opinions say that this agency has no basis to change the nature of the violation, which FIFA has detailed in its 63-page report. Acting President Yusoff Mahadi has also just criticized the assault of journalist Haresh Deol - who often asked FAM to reform and reflect on violations in player naturalization.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is closely monitoring whether FAM will file a lawsuit with CAS before making further disciplinary decisions regarding Malaysia's use of unqualified players. This could lead to Malaysia being held to losses in wins over Nepal (2-0) and Vietnam (4-0) both with a score of 0-3 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The AFC said the entire process will end at the latest on March 31, 2026, before determining the list of 24 teams participating in the 2027 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia.
