Malaysia are out of the race for the 2027 Asian Cup after the Asian Football Confederation cancelled their wins against Nepal and Vietnam.
The reason was that Malaysia had used players who were not eligible to play for the national team.
As a result, both matches have been counted as 3-0 losses for Malaysia. This has pushed them six points behind Vietnam in the group, and with only one match left, they no longer have any chance of qualifying.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was also fined $50,000 to be paid within 30 days.
The Association said on its website it would request the reasons for the decision from the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee and then consider its next steps.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport partially upheld earlier this month FIFA's sanctions on the seven footballers who played for Malaysia using falsified naturalisation documents, ruling they would serve a 12-month suspension from official matches, but could continue to train with their respective clubs.
The arbitration body also upheld FIFA's 350,000 Swiss franc ($444,275) fine on the Football Association of Malaysia.
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Deportivo Alaves' Facundo Garces was among seven players banned for a year by FIFA in September, after the soccer governing body found that doctored documentation had been used so that the players could play in an Asian Cup qualifier for Malaysia against Vietnam.
The other players were Gabriel Arrocha (Unionistas de Salamanca), Rodrigo Holgado (America de Cali), Imanol Machuca (Velez Sarsfield), Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel (all Johor Darul Ta'zim).
At the time, the group was handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
Malaysia's now-overturned wins included a 2-0 victory over Nepal on March 25, 2025, where Hector Hevel, one of the ineligible players, scored the opening goal in the 29th minute.
They also secured a 4-0 win against Vietnam on June 10, 2025, a result that had marked their first victory over the team in 11 years.
While all seven banned players were in the squad against Vietnam, only two of them featured in the match against Nepal.
(With Reuters Input)