According to Windsor John, the disciplinary body will rely on Articles 25 and 56 of the AFC Disciplinary Code when determining penalties against FAM and the Malaysian team.

However, he emphasized that although the case resembles the earlier naturalization scandal involving Timor-Leste, the punishments will differ.

Under those regulations, FAM and the players involved may face financial penalties under Article 56, while Malaysia could be handed 3-0 forfeits in matches against Vietnam and Nepal under Article 25. Those matches were played during the first leg of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, when the team fielded players linked to the illegal naturalization case.

“The situations of Malaysia and Timor-Leste are similar in that both involve falsified naturalization documents, but the contexts are different,” Windsor John explained.

“The Timor-Leste case was discovered after the competition had already finished, which is why they were banned from the next tournament.

“In Malaysia’s case, the issue emerged while the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers are still ongoing, so the circumstances are not the same.”

Malaysia currently lead Group F in the qualifiers with 15 points, followed by Vietnam with 12.

However, if the AFC Disciplinary Committee confirms the sanctions based on Articles 25 and 56, Malaysia would lose six points and drop to nine.

That outcome would lift Vietnam to the top of Group F with 15 points, securing a place in the Asian Cup 2027 finals without having to wait for the result of the final match against Malaysia on March 31.

Lam Hoang