KUALA LUMPUR - Local football fans remain on edge as they await the outcome of the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal against sanctions imposed by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on the national governing body and seven national players.
A Bernama check on the official website of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as of 7am today found that a decision has yet to be released following a hearing held early this morning.
FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman, when contacted by Bernama, said briefly that a statement on the proceedings would be issued later today.
In December, FAM confirmed that it had submitted a Statement of Appeal to CAS over FIFA’s sanctions against the association and the seven Harimau Malaya players.
Earlier in September, FIFA confirmed that FAM and the seven players - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel - were found to have breached Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) for document falsification.
Investigations found that FAM had submitted documents believed to be falsified to validate the eligibility of the players, allowing them to feature in Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in a Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers here in June last year.
FAM was then ordered to pay a fine of CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM11,000) and handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
Hopes of a reduction in the sanctions were dashed after FIFA’s Appeal Committee on Nov 3 rejected appeals by FAM and the players, thereby upholding the Disciplinary Committee’s decision on the serious breach of Article 22 of the FDC.
However, on Jan 27, FAM announced that CAS had granted the players’ application for a stay of execution of the sanctions, allowing them to continue their careers and participate in football-related activities pending the final decision on the appeal. - BERNAMA