FIFA accused of preventing Malaysia from taking 7 naturalized players scandal case to court

Speaking at a fan meeting for Malaysia’s biggest club Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), of which he is the president, Tunku Ismail alleged that a group of people within FIFA had requested FAM honorary president Tan Sri Hamidin Mohd Amin to drop the appeal.

"They advised him not to take the case to CAS," Tunku Ismail said, according to Harian Metro. "It's strange. I don't even know why they advised that."

Tunku Ismail, one of the most powerful figures in Malaysian football, condemned the interference, warning that it could severely damage the nation’s football interests.

"I'm not sure if they're afraid or not," Tunku Ismail added. "They even threatened that if we take the case to CAS, there will be another suspension or heavier penalties. But we will still do it, regardless of winning or losing."

Tunku Ismail, who has been a key figure in recruiting mixed-heritage players to strengthen the national team, clarified his role in the scandal. He stated that while he supports the team through government funding, he does not contact players directly, leaving the verification process to agents and FAM. He noted that many players were proposed, but only seven were deemed eligible by the Malaysian National Registration Department (NRD) at the time.

The controversy started when seven naturalized players, Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Gabriel Palmero, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, were found to have respresented Malaysia national team using forged documents.

As a result, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (US$440,000), while each player received a 12-month ban from football and a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs. This is the heaviest penalty in the history of Malaysian football.

On Nov. 18, the FIFA Appeal Committee (FAC) released a 63-page decision upholding earlier sanctions imposed by the Disciplinary Committee, after FAM filed an appeal.

FAM officially took the case to CAS on Dec. 8, seeking to overturn the ruling. The association has until Dec. 18 to submit its detailed legal arguments to the court's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

While CAS is the final avenue for resolving disputes with FIFA, overturning the world football governing body's decisions is rare. The process is also lengthy, as it typically takes five to six months to reach the final verdict.

However, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reportedly requested an expedited process, as the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers will conclude on March 31, 2026. This deadline coincides with Malaysia's critical final qualifying match against Vietnam.

If CAS upholds FIFA's ruling, Malaysia faces further penalties from the AFC. Most notably, their 4-0 victory over Vietnam on June 10, 2025, a match in which the ineligible players were featured, could be overturned and recorded as a 0-3 forfeit.