Malaysia loses appeal against FIFA in case of fake documents to recruit foreign players

By Canadian Press on March 5, 2026.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Malaysian Football Association lost its appeal on Thursday against a FIFA ruling it cheated by using false documents to naturalize foreign-born players for the men’s national team.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said its judges confirmed a 350,000 Swiss francs ($450,000) fine for the FA and one-year bans for the seven players “given their complicit responsibility in this fraud.”

The players were given Malaysian passports and selected for the team’s 4-0 win over Vietnam last June in a qualifying game for the 2027 Asian Cup. That win should be overturned.

“The CAS panel found that the infraction of falsifying eligibility documents was established and that the 12-month ban from playing matches was a reasonable and proportionate sanction for the players,” the court said.

However, the court relaxed the FIFA punishments by ruling the players should be allowed to train and take part in soccer activities outside of games until their bans expire.

The Malaysia FA acknowledged its “institutional shortcomings,” the court said, “and did not dispute that it may bear responsibility in violating” FIFA disciplinary rules.

“It also stated that the players had a limited role in providing documents requested by (the federation) and did not prepare, nor alter them,” CAS said.

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The Associated Press

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