FIFA asked to investigate Malaysia cheating before match against Vietnam

(Dan Tri) - Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai fans have asked FIFA to investigate the Malaysian team for cheating in the player naturalization process.

Right before the match with Vietnam, Malaysia welcomed a series of other naturalized players such as Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado (of Argentine origin), Joao Figueiredo (of Brazilian origin) and Jon Irazabal (of Spanish origin). These were all cases of quick naturalization, so their origins were all questioned.

Players of South American origin that Malaysia quickly naturalized before the match against Vietnam (Photo: FAM).

The Indonesian Football News Facebook page for Indonesian fans posted this suspicion. In the article, many fans from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam questioned whether the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) bought players from South America and was vague about the origin of the players.

Fans all believe that the South American players recently called up by FAM do not have Malaysian ancestors. Therefore, many people have petitioned FIFA to investigate whether Malaysia is cheating or not.

One fan commented: “I am sure there is no Argentine player with Malaysian grandparents or any Malaysian background. I am sure FAM is buying players. FIFA needs to investigate this team.”

Another person from Vietnam emphasized: “We have criticized the Indonesian team for naturalizing players, but at least they have clear origins. As for Malaysia, they do not have any documents to prove the origin of their players.”

A third person wrote: “FIFA should pay special attention to the case of Malaysia. I don’t think the Argentines or Brazilians have any connection with Malaysia.”

Many fans asked FIFA to investigate the origins of newly naturalized Malaysian players (Photo: FAM).

In the past, the Timor Leste national team was involved in a scandal related to illegal naturalization of players. In 2017, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declared nine naturalized Timor Leste players invalid because they did not meet the requirements. As a result, the Timor Leste national team was banned from participating in the 2023 Asian Cup and had to change the system for finding naturalized players.

If Malaysia follows in Timor Leste’s footsteps, they could face a similar heavy penalty. Bola (Indonesia) stressed: “The naturalization process of midfielder Facundo Garces must be carried out transparently and in compliance with FIFA regulations. Otherwise, the Malaysian team could face heavy penalties from FIFA if the naturalization process of Facundo Garces is later proven to be invalid.”

The match between Vietnam and Malaysia will take place at 8pm on June 10 at Bukit Jalil Stadium. The winner of this match will have a great chance to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.

In the future, if Malaysia is proven to have illegally naturalized players, the Vietnamese team can completely benefit.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/fifa-duoc-yeu-cau-dieu-tra-malaysia-gian-lan-truoc-tran-gap-tuyen-viet-nam-20250607120844394.htm