Malaysia is at risk of losing, will Vietnam team go straight to Asian Cup 2027?

The rejection of the appeal by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in the case of player naturalization fraud by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) opens up a great opportunity for the Vietnamese team to reverse the disadvantageous situation in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team can even go straight to the final round as soon as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issues an additional penalty.

FIFA concluded that the Football Association of Malaysia committed serious violations in the naturalization process for Gabriel Felipe Arrocha (Gabriel Palmero), Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano. The investigation report also stated that these individuals did not meet the requirements to be considered eligible Malaysian players. According to FIFA and AFC disciplinary regulations, the team that fielded an ineligible player was considered to have “abandoned the match” and lost the match 0-3.

The Vietnamese team can go straight to the 2027 Asian Cup if the AFC penalizes the Malaysian team.

Of the 7 players mentioned above, 2 played in Malaysia's 2-0 win over Nepal in March 2025. Three months later, all 7 players played against Vietnam (Malaysia won 4-0). If they were disqualified, Malaysia would lose 6 points (3 points would go to Vietnam). This would give Vietnam a "9-point advantage" in the competition with their opponents.

However, the AFC will wait for the FAM to complete all legal procedures before making a decision. This period could last for several weeks if FAM does not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), or several months. Before that time, the teams in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers will play their fifth match on November 19.

Vietnam will play Laos away. As long as they don't lose, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will ensure that the gap with Malaysia is no more than 8 points after the qualifying round. At that time, the AFC's penalty will help Vietnam enjoy a "9-point advantage", which means they will go straight to the Asian Cup finals.

In case Vietnam loses to Laos, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will still have to wait for the final match result to secure their ticket to the next round. However, Malaysia is the team at a disadvantage. They need to beat Vietnam by at least 4-0.

These are the assumptions that occurred when the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ruled that the Malaysian team lost because of cheating in naturalizing players. Before the final decision, at the present time, the Vietnamese team is still at a disadvantage compared to its opponent in the competition for a place in the final round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Vtcnews.vn

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/malaysia-nguy-co-bi-xu-thua-tuyen-viet-nam-vao-thang-asian-cup-2027-ar985279.html