Malaysia’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup ended after they were beaten 3-0 over two legs by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for fielding ineligible players, a decision that confirmed Vietnam’s promotion from Group F.The AFC said the action came after Malaysia used ineligible players during the final round of qualifiers. “The defendant fielded ineligible players in the relevant AFC Asian Cup 2027, (Qualifier Final Round) matches,” AFC said in a statement. The Kuala Lumpur-based body also fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) $50,000.With the forfeit applied, Vietnam now lead the group by six points at the top, making it impossible for Malaysia to catch up. The final group match between Vietnam and Malaysia on March 31 will no longer affect qualification.“Although this match is no longer decisive for the final group standings, it is still expected to be a remarkable contest,” the Vietnam Football Federation said.The development comes after FIFA investigated Malaysia’s use of foreign-born players. The probe focused on the 4-0 win over Vietnam in June and the 2-0 win over Nepal in March last year. Both results have now been reversed.FIFA found that the players had obtained naturalization through forged documents and had no connection or ancestry to Malaysia. According to the governing body, three players originally belonged to Argentina, two from Spain, one from the Netherlands and one from Brazil.The players involved include Hector Huell, Jun Arazabel, Gabriel Palmeiro, Facundo Garcías, Rodrigo Holgado, Emmanuel Machuca and Joao Brandao Figuerido.In its findings, FIFA’s appeals committee said the offense “strikes at the foundations of football’s integrity”. It held both the players and FAM responsible, saying the seven players “negligently used and profited from forged documents” while FAM’s “failure to hold them accountable shows systemic governance deficiencies and a lack of real commitment”.
