Malaysia fortunate to be handed a 0-3 defeat against Vietnam

Malaysia's lawyer believes the team was lucky to only be penalized by AFC under Article 56, thereby avoiding the risk of disqualification from the tournament and receiving a heavier punishment.

Regarding the penalty imposed on the Malaysian national team, a legal expert in Malaysia stated that the country's national team had "escaped danger" by not receiving a more severe disciplinary action from the Asian Football Confederation.

Previously, AFC issued a penalty against the Malaysian national team following a scandal involving the use of seven ineligible players. According to the conclusion of the Disciplinary and Ethics Committee chaired by Jahangir Baglari, FAM violated Article 56 of AFC's regulations.

The imposed penalty includes annulling Malaysia's wins against Nepal (2-0) and the Vietnamese national team (4-0), and awarding 0-3 defeats in these two matches. Additionally, Malaysia was deducted 6 points, dropping to second place in Group F and officially losing the chance to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Nevertheless, according to sports lawyer Nik Erman Nik Roseli, this outcome is still "manageable" for Malaysian football. He believes AFC's application of Article 56 is significantly lighter than Article 61, which directly pertains to fraudulent conduct and document forgery.

“The penalty under Article 56 allows Malaysia to continue competing, despite the point deduction. But if Article 61 were applied, the team could be immediately disqualified from the tournament and even face the risk of being banned from future competitions.”, he analyzed.

This expert also emphasized that the difference between the two articles lies not only in the severity of the penalty but also in financial aspects. If penalized under Article 61, Malaysia could face a fine many times higher than under Article 56.

Furthermore, he suggested that AFC's choice of Article 56 may stem from legal factors and precedent, as similar violations in the past have been handled in this manner. “Perhaps Article 56 is easier to prove, or there is a principle of not penalizing twice for the same offense.”, he added.

Although already eliminated, Malaysia's final match against the Vietnamese national team on March 31 will still take place, but only as a procedural matter. However, the repercussions from this penalty will undoubtedly have long-term effects on Malaysian football.