Indonesia denies involvement in FIFA's heavy sanctions on Malaysia

FIFA imposed a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs ($438,700) on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) on Sept. 26 and banned seven of its naturalized players from football-related activities for 12 months for falsifying documents.

Following this, allegations quickly surfaced within Malaysian media that Indonesia had played a role in influencing FIFA's decision.

Tunku Ismail Idris, the Crown Prince of Johor and president of Malaysia’s biggest club Johor Darul Tazim, shared an article from news outlet SBWTF on X on Sept. 28 that criticized the sanctions, suggesting it was evidence of FIFA's "double standards." The article included a photo of Thohir with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, fueling suspicions of Indonesia's involvement.

He alleged that several parties were trying to influence FIFA during a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, adding that the day before the punishment decision, Infantino had posed with President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, Telusur reported.

President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto (R) meets FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New York, U.S. on Sept. 25, 2025. Photo by FIFA

In response to these accusations, Thohir emphasized that Indonesia only focus on developing their sports.

"We do not interfere with the politics or policies of other countries; we want sports in Indonesia to progress," he said, as quoted by news outlet Detik20.

"We want our football to improve, badminton to excel, pencak silat to go global. We aim for our sports to advance, but we do not intervene in other countries' issues."

Under Thohir's leadership, Indonesia has naturalized over 20 players, mostly of Dutch descent, without facing problems from FIFA. He further clarified that his recent meeting with Infantino was part of Indonesia's medium-term development plan for football from 2025 to 2029.

Crown Prince of Johor Tunku Ismail Idris (R) meets with Indonesian football president Erick Thohir in November 2024. Photo by Instagram/@erickthohir

President Subianto met FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New York on Sept. 25. In addition to his football-related talks, he also met with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to discuss standardizing Indonesia's sports organizations and improving athlete protection, Sumut Pos reported.

FAM is awaiting a detailed ruling from FIFA and plans to appeal the decision. If the appeal fails, FAM will take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The seven players, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo and Hector Hevel, have been suspended, and their clubs in Spain, Colombia, Argentina and Malaysia have called on FAM to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

All of them played in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam at the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.