Glimmer Of Hope From Fifa President At 47th Asean Summit Faded As Fifa Upholds Fam S Suspension Fines

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FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has rejected the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal against penalties meted out for the latter’s alleged forgery in the registration of seven naturalised players while upholding both the 12-month suspensions and hefty fines initially imposed.
As the final resort, FAM said it would write to the international governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer to obtain the full written grounds for the decision before pursuing an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“This is the first time FAM has faced such a situation, of which both our lawyers and management are very surprised by the decision,” FAM acting president Datuk Wira Mohd Yusoff Mahadi pointed out in a statement issued late last night (Nov 3).

“However, FAM will continue to firmly fight for the rights of the players and the interests of Malaysian football at the international level.”
Earlier, FIFA said its Appeal Committee has officially dismissed the appeals lodged by FAM and seven naturalised players with regard to the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to breaches of Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (forgery and falsification).
The seven players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
After reviewing the case and conducting hearings, the Appeal Committee upheld “the original sanctions in full” which include:
A fine of CHF350,000 imposed on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).A fine of CHF 2,000 for each of the seven players.A 12-month suspension for all seven players from all football-related activities.Recall that there was a glimmer of hope that FIFA would overturn its earlier verdict when FIFA president Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino showed up at the 47th ASEAN Summit to eventually ink the ASEAN-FIFA memorandum of understanding (MOU) which culminated in the ASEAN-FIFA Cup.
FIFA president Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino (left) and ASEAN secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn (right) exchanging memorabilia (witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) after inking the ASEAN-FIFA memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26, 2025 (Image credit: ASEAN.org)Speculations were rife that in addition to sealing a new tournament aimed at boosting Southeast Asian (SEA) football, FAM could initiate some ‘sideline lobbying’ to make FIFA change its mind.
But alas, that glimmer of hope was too far-fetched as the 47th ASEAN Summit has come and gone with Malaysia soon to pass its rotational chairmanship baton of the 11 SEA states to the Philippines.
Fast forward to the latest development, FIFA regulations stipulate that FAM now have 10 days to request the full written (motivated) decision, according to renowned regional football site ASEAN FOOTBALL in its latest Facebook post.

Once that is received, FAM will then have 21 days to submit a potential appeal to the Switzerland-headquartered CAS.
As diehard local football fans stood firm behind and rallied FAM to utilise its “ultimate lifeline” (appeal to CAS), regional football fans have other thoughts as evident from the ASEAN FOOTBALL social media post: 

 - Focus Malaysia

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