AFC fines the Football Association of Malaysia in the match against Nepal

The Football Association of Malaysia was penalized by the AFC for mistakes during the match between Malaysia and Nepal on November 18 as part of the 2027 Asian Cup qualification.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recently issued additional sanctions to several federations and teams in Asian competitions over the past period.

Accordingly, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was fined 2,500 USD for allowing the second half of the match between the Malaysian and Nepalese national teams on November 18, 2025 at Bukit Jalil Stadium to start 1 minute and 30 seconds later than the scheduled time. Notably, this is not the first time FAM has committed this mistake. The AFC also warned that heavier fines will be imposed for repeated offenses.

Previously, the Football Association of Malaysia along with seven naturalized players received heavy sanctions from FIFA due to fraudulent registration documents in matches against Nepal and Vietnam in March and June. However, FAM insisted they did nothing wrong and decided to appeal. Recently, after completing the appeal process with FIFA, FAM has filed a case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to continue pursuing the matter.

On the AFC side, Secretary General Windsor John confirmed that the AFC will announce an official decision regarding FAM immediately after receiving the CAS verdict. The deadline for the organization to finalize conclusions on the case is before March 31, 2026.