Seven Malaysian naturalized players involved in illicit registration unexpectedly receive reduced sentences.

The latest ruling from CAS has rejected the appeal by the Football Association of Malaysia, upholding FIFA's penalties but lightening the disciplinary measures against seven naturalized players who used invalid documentation.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has recently issued its final verdict regarding the controversial naturalization scandal in Malaysian football. While dismissing the appeal by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), CAS partially modified the penalties imposed on the seven involved players.

According to the latest ruling, CAS largely maintains the sanctions previously announced by FIFA against FAM and the seven players: Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.

Specifically, the Football Association of Malaysia is fined a total of 350,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to approximately 11.8 billion Vietnamese dong. This amount is calculated at 50,000 Swiss francs per violation. Meanwhile, each player is fined 2,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to about 67.5 million Vietnamese dong, and also receives a 12-month ban from competition.

However, CAS has partially adjusted the penalties for the group of players. Instead of being suspended from all football-related activities as per the initial decision, the seven players are only banned from participating in official matches for 12 months. This means they are still permitted to train and engage in professional activities with their clubs to maintain fitness during their suspension period.

In a press release, CAS stated: “CAS partially upheld the appeal by the seven players against FIFA, concerning the penalties for falsifying naturalization and eligibility documents. The seven players are banned from playing official matches for 12 months but are not banned from all football activities. The appeal by FAM was dismissed, and FIFA's decision to fine FAM 350,000 Swiss francs remains unchanged.”

Following this ruling, the primary concern is the possibility of the Malaysian national team being awarded 0-3 defeats in two matches belonging to the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Previously, Malaysia defeated Vietnam 4-0 on June 10, 2025, and beat Nepal 2-0 on March 25, 2025.

According to regulations, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will soon issue a final decision regarding the results of the aforementioned two matches. AFC's ruling will be based on conclusions from CAS and FIFA, and it is highly likely that Malaysia will be handed 0-3 defeat verdicts if the violations are determined to have directly affected the eligibility of the match squad.