Why Has FIFA Banned All International Friendlies of Malaysia?

Malaysia Football has been hit by a major blow after the Malaysia football team ban was imposed by FIFA after they uncovered the naturalised player scandal. This FIFA ban shall also impact Malaysia's AFC Qualification, apart from just Malaysia International Friendlies. This issue was brought into the spotlight after the different football associations complained to AFC and FIFA after they found that Malaysia fielded seven ineligible player for their AFC Qualification fixture.

FIFA's Disciplinary Committee later found out that the Football Association of Malaysia submitted forged documents to register their ineligible players for the national team.

After the probe was finished, the FIFA ban came as expected, and FIFA also suspended all seven players from football-related activities for 12 months. Apart from the FIFA ban, the MFA was fined CHF 350,000 for breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code related to documentation forgery.

Players involved and Impact on AFC Qualification

After the Malaysia football team ban, the seven players have also been under scrutiny. During the probe led by FIFA, it was found that many foreign-born players from Argentina, Brazil, and Spain were granted Malaysian citizenship and were fielded in key matches, such as the AFC Qualification game.

The seven ineligible players were -

• Facundo Tomás Garcés

• Joao Vitor Brandão Figueiredo

• Gabriel Felipe Arrocha

• Rodrigo Julián Holgado

• Imanol Javier Machuca

• Jon Irazábal Iraurgui

• Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano

  Now the big question that remains uncertain is, after the FIFA ban, will Malaysia still play their remaining AFC Qualification game, and how long will this ban last on Malaysia International Friendlies? As per reports, FIFA has not banned Malaysia from playing AFC qualification games, but the games, where they previously fielded ineligible players, will be scrutinised properly and may impact their qualification hopes massively.

Similar FIFA Bans in Football History

This is not the first time FIFA has banned a federation. Recently, the Russian FA has been barred from UEFA and FIFA competitions after Russia invaded Ukraine. Back in 2015-17, Kuwait and Indonesia were also banned from football-related activities due to government interference in national associations.

FIFA takes the integrity of international football very seriously, and when falsified or forged documents are submitted, the competitive balance is undermined, and integrity is severely compromised.