AFC says it faces time constraint before possible disciplinary review on FAM over heritage players’ documentation issues.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation has acknowledged facing time constraints before beginning a potential disciplinary review on the Football Association of Malaysia regarding documentation issues involving seven Harimau Malaya heritage players.
AFC secretary general Datuk Seri Windsor John stated the confederation hopes all legal and appeal processes undertaken by FAM will be completed before March 31 next year to avoid disruption to preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup final round draw.
He explained the time constraint exists because the draw will take place after the Asian Cup qualifying round’s last match on March 31.
Windsor emphasised the need to determine which team from Malaysia’s group will qualify for the finals before the draw preparation begins.
The national team currently leads Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round with a perfect record after winning all four matches.
Malaysia tops the group with 12 points followed by Vietnam with 9 points Laos with 3 points and Nepal at the bottom with no points.
Only the group winners will qualify for the finals in Saudi Arabia scheduled for January 2027.
Windsor clarified AFC will only begin its disciplinary review through the disciplinary committee once receiving the final decision from FIFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
He stated the case file will be given to AFC after the final decision whether from FIFA’s Appeal Committee or CAS.
The disciplinary committee will then examine the case file to identify which areas have been breached regarding the impact on AFC matches.
Last month FAM and seven heritage players were penalised by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee for violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code related to document falsification.
FIFA determined FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm player eligibility for the third-round match against Vietnam on June 10.
FAM received a 350,000 Swiss franc fine while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.
FAM previously explained it had identified a technical error in the submission process involving the seven players’ documents made by an administrative staff member.
The association filed an official appeal with FIFA regarding the issue on October 15.
FAM also did not rule out taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the FIFA appeal fails to yield positive results.
FIFA is expected to announce its appeal verdict today. – Bernama
