Malaysia questions FIFA's fairness, noting Vietnamese lawyer on disciplinary committee

FIFA fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs (US$438,700) on Sept. 26 and banned seven foreign-born players from all football activities for 12 months. Each player was also fined 2,000 Swiss francs. The sanctioned players participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match at Bukit Jalil Stadium on June 10. According to regulations of the Asian Football Confederation, Malaysia could face a 0-3 loss, additional penalties or even disqualification from the tournament.

"The important question now is not just about the violations, but also who was behind the process of making this decision," leading Malaysian sports outlet Makanbola wrote on Sunday.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee, currently chaired by UAE's Mohammad Al Kamali, has a vice president and 16 other members, including Vietnamese lawyer Nguyen Thi My Dung.

CEO of the PVF Football Academy, lawyer Nguyen Thi My Dung, is one of 18 members of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. Photo by PVF

According to Makanbola, Dung is an experienced lawyer who has worked for the world's leading sports law agencies. Her presence in the committee is considered a recognition of legal expertise in Southeast Asia. However, it has also fueled public skepticism over conflicts of interest.

"The problem is not just the sanctions but also the fairness of the ruling process," the newspaper added.

The article was shared on social media by the Crown Prince of Johor and Johor Darul Ta'zim president Tunku Ismail, who manages Malaysia's policies on naturalized players. Ismail commented that there are forces that may be wary of Malaysian football's rapid rise.

Legal experts, however, emphasize that FIFA Disciplinary Committee members are bound by integrity and neutrality. They rely solely on complaints, evidence and FIFA regulations.

"The presence of a Vietnamese member does not influence the decision to punish Malaysia," a sports lawyer told VnExpress. "Malaysia should focus on submitting a formal appeal rather than questioning the committee without basis."

Besides Dung and president Al Kamali, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee includes vice president Jorge Palacio (Colombia) and 15 other members from across the globe, including Abdul Salim Ahmed Ibrahim (Singapore), Bandar Al Hamidani (Saudi Arabia), Alejandro Piera (Paraguay), Arnaud Dumont (Tahiti), Francisco Schertel Mendes (Brazil), Jose Ernesto Mejia (Honduras), Leonardo Stagg (Ecuador), Paolo Lopez (Mexico), Gerardo Mastandrea (Italy), Martin Prochazka (Czech Republic), Thomas Hollerer (Austria), Kossi Guy Akpovy (Togo), Robert Hadad (Trinidad and Tobago), Moez El Nasri (Tunisia) and Lord Veehala (Tonga).

In addition to her role on FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Dung has been an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) since 2003, a member of the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (2017-present), part of the AFC Appeal Committee (2011–present), and deputy CEO of the PVF Football Academy in Vietnam.