The reason? Forged documents were used to field naturalised footballers.
The penalty was severe. FAM faced a 350,000 Swiss francs fine - nearly RM1.9 million. Seven players received 12-month suspensions from all football activities. Each player also faced individual fines of 2,000 Swiss francs.
The scandal made global headlines. Malaysia became famous for all the wrong reasons.
The trouble began on June 10, 2025. Malaysia’s national team, “Harimau Malaya”, faced Vietnam in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Seven naturalised players took the field. Malaysia won 4-0, their first victory over Vietnam in 11 years.
But victory came at a cost. Complaints about player eligibility reached Fifa. The world football body investigated. What they found was shocking: doctored documents submitted to prove nationality.
Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee found...