AFC may have already reached a decision regarding FAM

This was the opinion expressed by football analyst Zakaria Rahim just before the Court of Arbitration for Sport delivers its final verdict to FAM on the matter of the seven improperly naturalized footballers.

Today, on February 26th, all attention from the Southeast Asian football community is focused on the Malaysian Football Association, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is about to issue its final decision on the case involving seven players who were illegally naturalized.

Prior to the verdict being announced, Malaysian media and experts unanimously expressed pessimism. Recently, in statements to the press, football analyst Zakaria Rahim suggested that the AFC is already aware of the document forgery case involving the seven veteran players and might merely be waiting for the right moment to announce its decision.

"The AFC has likely already made its decision and is just waiting to announce it after the CAS ruling. If the CAS decision reduces the penalty, it still means guilt was established (related to the document forgery case)."

""Actually, I'm not overly concerned about the CAS decision itself; the most worrying aspect is the subsequent action from FIFA and the AFC following the CAS ruling. It appears the AFC will follow FIFA's lead, and if Nepal and Vietnam are awarded 3-0 wins against Malaysia, the Harimau Malaya squad would lose 6 points,"the expert shared with Berita Harian.

"The current situation essentially means we can forget about the 2027 Asian Cup even before facing Vietnam again next month. Furthermore, there is also a possibility that FIFA will suspend FAM following this incident," Zakaria Rahim further cautioned.

"If a suspension is imposed, it would undoubtedly cause significant damage to the entire national football ecosystem. However, if no suspension occurs, we should be grateful. Therefore, what we should truly worry about or dread are the subsequent actions from FIFA and the AFC, and we should celebrate if the outcomes are positive," he said.

Additionally, Zakaria emphasized that regardless of the CAS decision, Malaysian football has already lost its image and credibility within the sports community, both at the regional and international levels.

"No matter what the CAS verdict is, a lack of trust will persist and will haunt everyone, similar to the case of Timor Leste. They were previously penalized for issues regarding player document forgery, and their case is still referenced as an example today."

"The same applies to Malaysia's situation; in the future, it will serve as a precedent for other federations facing similar actions, and FIFA, if it wishes to act, will refer to previous cases like those of Malaysia, Timor Leste, etc.", he stated.