Reason for CAS's Delay in Ruling on Malaysian Naturalized Player Case

Why has the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) taken so long to issue a ruling on the appeals by FAM and the seven naturalized players? This is a question raised by the media and fans alike.

Sports lawyer Hairul Vaiyron Othman explained that this is because the case involves eight separate appeals being adjudicated in a single hearing at the world sports court in Lausanne, Switzerland.

He stated that due to the scale of the proceedings, reaching a decision is likely to be time-consuming.

The seven players—Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel—were suspended by FIFA for 12 months starting last September for falsifying documents related to their eligibility to play for the national team. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was also fined 350,000 Swiss francs (1.8 million RM). They appealed to CAS.

CAS, which commenced the hearing on February 26, indicated it will announce the verdict next week.

"That was just a single case. Imagine here we have eight cases that need to be considered and decided in one hearing," Hairul said.

He added that even under normal circumstances, with a single case and parties submitting documents on time, a decision could take about a month.

In this instance, the CAS panel must review multiple appeals before issuing a final and binding ruling.

According to a response from CAS, the panel handling the case needs to thoroughly examine all arguments and evidence before making a final decision.

The statement noted that an exact timeline for the decision cannot be confirmed, but a preliminary ruling (without full reasoning) is expected to be announced next week.

"Following today's hearing, the panel will require time for deliberation. I cannot provide an exact timeline for the decision, but the initial ruling (without full reasons) is anticipated to be released next week.

As this is a high-profile case, a press release will be issued. I will notify you as soon as it is published," said Vanessa Tracey, CAS Communications Officer, to Metro Malaysia.

The case has attracted widespread attention as it concerns the eligibility of naturalized players, who were previously suspended and fined by world football's governing body.

"After the preliminary ruling is announced, the full decision will be finalized and sent to the involved parties at a later date.

If the parties do not request confidentiality, the decision will be published on the CAS website," she added.

The full decision document will explain the basis upon which the CAS panel considered the appeal.

However, the full-text decision will only be made public if the involved parties do not request it to remain confidential.