Malaysian football is holding its breath awaiting the CAS.

Malaysian football is holding its breath awaiting the final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding seven players who illegally naturalized themselves, while the squad for the rematch against Vietnam on March 31st remains uncertain.

In late 2025, the International Football Federation (FIFA) accused the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) of falsifying documents to legitimize seven naturalized players to represent the national team. The case is still ongoing and awaits the final ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) temporarily suspended the seven players but also clarified that this is not a final decision regarding their eligibility to compete. According to FIFA disciplinary regulations, if a player is determined to be ineligible, the team using them may face retroactive penalties in official competitions. Therefore, Malaysia faces a significant risk if they continue to field this group of naturalized players in the match against Vietnam on March 31st in the second leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Coach Cklamovski is still hoping for the return of the naturalized players in the rematch against Vietnam.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

The Malaysian coach remains 'stubborn'.

Despite increasingly clear legal warnings, Malaysia's head coach Peter Cklamovski still hoped for a "miracle" to bring back seven naturalized players for the match against Vietnam. This view immediately drew fierce criticism from Malaysian fans. Many argued that continuing to rely on the group of players under investigation would only further damage the image of Malaysian football…

And that's just the story within the context of a single match. The bigger issue is how the top management of FAM will operate now that the entire executive committee has resigned. Recently, the Secretary General of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Windsor John, stated that FIFA will not dissolve FAM if the federation resolves the scandal and commits to completing the restructuring, with FIFA authorizing the AFC to oversee rather than directly intervene. The AFC estimates that the reconstruction process is expected to take at least three months, and suspension will be the last resort if the reform fails, as the consequences would cause Malaysian football to take many years to recover.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bong-da-malaysia-nin-tho-cho-cas-185260202224014839.htm