FIFA is about to make a decision regarding the future of Malaysian football!

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that FIFA will not suspend Malaysian football activities, creating an opportunity for a full-scale restructuring after controversies involving governance and player naturalization.

Malaysian football has just received a crucial lifeline amid a severe leadership crisis. AFC Secretary General Datuk Seri Windsor Paul John has confirmed that FIFA will not impose a suspension on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Instead, the AFC has been directly authorized to coordinate and assist the country in carrying out an internal recovery plan.

The event of the entire FAM Executive Committee resigning simultaneously on January 28 is viewed as a strategic move to prevent harsh intervention from FIFA. Rather than stripping autonomy and appointing a "Normalization Committee," FIFA will only play a supervisory role from afar.

However, Mr. Windsor emphasized that this leniency comes with a firm condition: “FAM must agree. Any changes we propose need to be accepted for the benefit of football. As long as FAM agrees to all these changes, the risk will not exist.”

The reform process is expected to last at least three months under the leadership of AFC Deputy Secretary General Vahid Kardany. During this period, FAM retains full membership status, and domestic leagues and national teams continue operating normally. This effort aims to protect the country’s football ecosystem from collapse.

Mr. Windsor explained: “Suspension is not a punishment, which many misunderstand. It is meant to facilitate improvement. But if improvement can be achieved without suspension, that is better... Imagine if suspended, it would definitely take three or four months before normalization occurs. During that time, we cannot compete in international tournaments.”

It should be noted that this leniency from FIFA and AFC pertains only to organizational governance. It is entirely separate from the scandal involving seven naturalized players falsifying documents. The ruling on whether Malaysia will forfeit matches in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (including the win over Vietnam) will be announced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on February 26, 2026.

Accepting the reforms “which are decisive and thorough” is the only path for FAM to regain credibility. If commitments are properly fulfilled, Malaysia will avoid isolation from world football and prepare for a new, more professional and transparent Executive Committee election.