The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced that the hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding the FIFA case will take place on February 25th or 26th.

The fate of the seven naturalized Malaysian players accused of falsifying documents will be Tải SUNWIN decided next month. FAM Secretary-General Noor Azman Rahman said the federation received a letter from the CAS on January 26th. At a press conference in Petaling Jaya, Selangor this afternoon, January 28th, he confirmed that the CAS has set the court date for February 25th or 26th.

FAM Secretary-General Noor Azman Rahman at a press conference in Selangor, Malaysia on the afternoon of January 28, 2026. Photo:NSTP

The court may not issue a ruling immediately during the hearing, but will send the written decision a few days later. Once the CAS decision is received, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will consider whether to declare a loss to Malaysia in matches involving naturalized players who were ineligible to play.

FIFA hasMalaysia lost 0-3.In friendly matches against Cape Verde, Singapore, and Palestine, Malaysia was penalized for using the aforementioned group of naturalized players. Additionally, Malaysia has two matches where they haven't been penalized for using these players: a 2-0 win against Nepal on March 25, 2025, and a 4-0 win against Vietnam on June 10, 2025, both in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. These matches were organized by the AFC, so they want to wait for a decision from the CAS before taking further action.

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If Malaysia is handed a loss in both matches, Vietnam will be guaranteed qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup, regardless of the result of the final match against Malaysia at Thien Truong Stadium, Ninh Binh province (formerly Nam Dinh) on March 31, 2026.

Between now and the hearing, seven players – Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel – have been selected by the Court.allowing training and competitionfor their clubs. For example, Figueiredo, Irazabal, and Hevel have returned to training with their Malaysian club Johor Darul Tazim (JDT).

Rodrigo Holgado (number 19), Joao Figueireido (14) and Hector Hevel (13) celebrate a goal in the 4-0 victory against Vietnam in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup. Photo:Twenty-four

FAM officialsue FIFA at CASOn December 8, 2025, after their appeal was rejected twice by FIFA, FAM hoped to have their 350,000 Swiss franc (over 11 billion VND) fine reduced somewhat, despite their slim chances of winning. They also hoped that the one-year bans for the seven players would be lessened.

Also this morning, all members of the FAM executive committee haveresignThey resigned three years earlier than their term in office. Their four main reasons were: protecting FAM and Malaysian football, demonstrating responsible and ethical governance, paving the way for independent oversight by FIFA and AFC, and regaining public trust.