KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's 2027 Asian Cup hopes were ended Tuesday after the country was hit with 3-0 forfeits in two qualifiers for fielding ineligible players, sending Vietnam through instead.
It was the latest and possibly final chapter in a scandal over seven foreign-born players who were later banned for using forged documents to play for Malaysia's national team.
"The defendant fielded ineligible players in the relevant AFC Asian Cup 2027, (Qualifiers Final Round) matches," the Asian Football Confederation said.
The Kuala Lumpur-based AFC also slapped an additional $50,000 fine on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The ruling leaves Vietnam with an unassailable six-point lead in qualifying Group F for Saudi Arabia in 2027, leapfrogging the Malaysians at the top.
There is one more round of matches, pitting Vietnam home to Malaysia on March 31 in what is now a dead-rubber.
"Although the match no longer holds decisive significance for the final group standings, it is still expected to be a noteworthy contest," Vietnam's football federation said in a statement.
Fifa launched an investigation into claims that ineligible players featured in a 4-0 Malaysia win over Vietnam in a qualifier in June.
Two of the seven players at the centre of the scandal scored.
That result, and a 2-0 victory against Nepal in March last year, have now both been overturned.
The world governing body found that the player naturalisations were obtained using falsified documents and that none had Malaysian parentage or ancestry.
Fifa said that three of the players were originally Argentine, two Spanish, one Dutch and one Brazilian.
The players are: Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Joao Brandao Figueiredo.
Fifa's appeals committee in its finding at the time said the offence "strikes at the very foundation of football's integrity".
It blamed both the players and FAM.
It said the seven players "negligently used and benefitted from the forged documents" while FAM's "inability to establish accountability reflects systemic governance deficiencies and a lack of genuine commitment".
Fifa suspended the players for a year and slapped more than $448,000 in fines on FAM.
The FAM and players appealed to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
CAS slightly reduced sanctions against the seven players, ruling that they may resume training with their clubs and participate in football-related activities.
But their one-year ban from official matches — backdated to September — remains in force. — AFP
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