Southeast Asian media collectively respond to the temporary lifting of the ban on 7 naturalized Malaysian players

Southeast Asian football news outlets were all surprised by CAS's decision to temporarily lift the suspension on 7 naturalized Malaysian players.

On the evening of January 26, The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has approved the request to temporarily suspend the sanctions against 7 players of the Malaysian national team, including Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Héctor Hevel. This means these 7 players can return to play normally for their clubs while awaiting the final verdict.

The incident immediately caused a stir in Southeast Asian media overnight. Almost all expressed surprise at CAS's decision.

The Southeast Asian football forum - Asean Football wrote: "CAS continues to allow the 7 Malaysian naturalized players to keep playing. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has approved the request to temporarily suspend the sanctions on behalf of the seven national team players. Thus, the involved players: Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Héctor Hevel will continue playing following FIFA’s 12-month suspension," Asean Football posted.

This outlet evaluated CAS's decision as "a significant development for Malaysia while the legal process is still ongoing."

Seasia Goal expressed clear surprise at the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling. However, the site emphasized that this is only a temporary measure pending the final decision: "This is merely a provisional measure while CAS conducts its investigation and issues the final ruling."

The Indonesian newspaper Kompas published the news headlined: "Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) temporarily lifts FIFA sanctions; seven naturalized Malaysian players breathe a sigh of relief."

Below the article, the Indonesian paper recounted information from the press release of FAM and also confirmed that this is not the final decision but only a temporary ruling.