The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has ruled that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) violated rules by fielding ineligible players during two 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches last year, dashing Harimau Malaya's hopes of vying for the championship in Saudi Arabia next year.

Following the finding, the AFC has slapped FAM with a fine of US$50,000 (RM196,119) and nullified Malaysia’s win in two qualifying matches.

The matches involved are...