KATHMANDU- The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee has officially penalized the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for fielding ineligible players, resulting in the Nepal National Team being awarded three points in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
The Decision Following a comprehensive review, the AFC ruled that Malaysia breached Article 56 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code. The investigation confirmed that Malaysia used seven naturalized players who had obtained citizenship through falsified or invalid civil documents.
As a consequence, the results of two key matches have been overturned:
- Nepal vs Malaysia (March 25, 2025): Originally a 2–0 win for Malaysia, now recorded as a 3–0 technical victory for Nepal.
- Vietnam vs Malaysia (June 10, 2025): Originally a 4–0 win for Malaysia, now recorded as a 3–0 technical victory for Vietnam.
Impact on Standings With this decision, Nepal has secured its first win of the qualifying campaign, moving from zero to three points in Group F. While Vietnam benefits significantly by securing their ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, the ruling provides a much-needed boost to Nepal's standing in the group.
In addition to the forfeit of points, the AFC has slapped Malaysia with a $50,000 USD fine, which must be settled within 30 days.