FIFA strips Malaysia of three match results over ineligible players

FIFA strips Malaysia of three match results over ineligible players

FIFA has overturned the results of three Malaysia international matches after ruling that the team fielded ineligible players, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed on Wednesday.

The FIFA disciplinary committee ruled that three international friendlies, against Cape Verde on May 29, Singapore on September 4, and Palestine on September 8, would be recorded as 3-0 defeats by forfeiture.

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In addition to annulling the results, FIFA imposed a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs on FAM. The decision, FIFA said, remains subject to appeal.

The ruling follows FIFA’s earlier sanctions in September, when seven naturalised players were suspended for 12 months, and FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs after the world governing body found that falsified documents had been used to establish the players’ eligibility.

The documents allegedly claimed Malaysian ancestry and were used during an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam in June.

FIFA rejected FAM’s initial appeal against those sanctions in November, prompting the association to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“FAM will make a written application to obtain the reasons for the decision from the FIFA disciplinary committee before considering the next steps to be taken in this matter,” the association said in a statement.

The controversy has sparked backlash in Malaysia, with fans and lawmakers calling for accountability within FAM and government agencies involved in granting citizenship to the players.

Last month, FAM suspended its secretary-general and set up an independent committee to investigate what it described as a “technical error”.

The latest ruling followed a FIFA disciplinary committee meeting on December 12, which concluded that FAM had breached FIFA’s disciplinary code by fielding ineligible players.

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.

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