According to Scoop, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is facing the risk of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ruling a forfeiture in two matches against Vietnam and Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. If this occurs, the national team would have virtually no hope of participating in the continental tournament.
Head coach Peter Cklamovski is highly likely to resign if Malaysia is ruled to have forfeited 0-3 against Vietnam and Nepal (Photo: FAM).
Previously, FAM’s appeal to FIFA against charges of falsifying documents for seven naturalized players was unsuccessful. Now, Malaysia’s football governing body is preparing to take the case to a higher authority, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Head coach Peter Cklamovski, appointed by FAM in January 2025, is in a difficult position with the team losing numerous key players. Furthermore, he faces the risk of not being able to lead the Malaysian national team in the 2027 Asian Cup.
An anonymous source told Scoop that the likelihood of coach Cklamovski leaving his current position is very high, and revealed that FAM has already begun considering replacement options.
The source stated: “If he no longer has the best players at his disposal, what would be the point of him staying? FAM’s current predicament has severely impacted Coach Cklamovski’s morale. He is a good coach. We hope he doesn’t leave under such circumstances.”
The source also warned that if the Malaysian national team is ruled to have forfeited, the consequences would extend beyond Coach Cklamovski, significantly affecting all players, coaching staff, and the federation itself.
“This squad was built with the goal of conquering the 2027 Asian Cup. If key players are lost, all plans will collapse. We can only hope the situation stabilizes soon, although the potential for major upheaval is very high,” the source said.
Malaysian football has seen continuous upheaval after FIFA accused them of falsifying naturalization documents for seven players (Photo: NST).
Former FAM official, Datuk Christopher Raj, commented to Scoop that FAM would not be suspended, but the national team would likely be disqualified from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers and could only return to play from the 2031 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Mr. Christopher Raj stated that if FAM wins the case at CAS, the immediate goal for the Malaysian team would be to secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup.
However, he warned that if they lose the case, the team would have to “stay put” for four years, unable to play international matches, which could cause their FIFA ranking to plummet and make it difficult to invite strong opponents for friendly games.
The expert emphasized: “In that scenario, we would only be able to play against lower-ranked teams like Nepal, Bhutan, or Sri Lanka. Teams within the top 100 worldwide would not be keen on facing Malaysia, especially if the team’s ranking were to drop to 145th globally.
Such matches would not provide professional benefits for either side. Maintaining regular international play is a crucial factor for player development and the reputation of Malaysian football.”
The incident originated from Malaysia’s use of seven naturalized players of Argentinian, Brazilian, Spanish, and Dutch descent in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers, who were later found to have submitted falsified documents regarding their Malaysian origins.
Southeast Asian media has compared Malaysia’s fraud case to that of Timor Leste, a team previously disqualified from the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers for using ineligible players.
