Malaysia football association faces massive financial loss for last resort appeal against FIFA

The move comes after FIFA's Appeal Committee rejected FAM's first appeal against sanctions for using falsified documents of seven naturalized players at the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers this year.

According to sports lawyer Zhafri Aminurrashid, the costs for such a legal challenge are substantial. The appeal fee to CAS estimated to cost around 1 million Malaysian ringgit, with lawyer fees ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 Malaysian ringgit. Witness fees could add another 50,000 Malaysian ringgit per person.

Aminurrashid emphasized that FAM would be solely responsible for these costs, which must be paid upfront and are non-refundable.

"FIFA will not share these costs, meaning FAM would have to bear the full amount upfront. If FAM fails to make the payment, the appeal will be dismissed," he told New Straits Times.

The legal battle started from FIFA's original ruling, which concluded that FAM had used falsified documents to naturalize players. The association was fined 350,000 Swiss francs ($433,580) and the seven players involved were fined 2,000 Swiss francs and banned from all football activities for 12 months.

Despite a low chance of overturning the verdict and the high cost, FAM's legal representative, lawyer Serge Vittoz, stated the organization is willing to go all the way to prove its innocence, The Star reported.

FAM has 10 days to request a detailed report from the FAC, after which it has 21 days to submit a final appeal to CAS. The average processing time for a CAS case is about 5.7 months during the 2019-2024 period.

If FAM proceeds, the case could become the most expensive lawsuit in Malaysian football history and a gamble for an organization already facing a huge fine.