The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has clarified that Johor Darul Ta’zim will not face any sanctions over the ongoing FIFA eligibility case involving several heritage players.
According to a report by New Straits Times journalist Farah Azharie, the AFC stressed that the issue relates only to national team eligibility and does not affect club competitions.
This means the Southern Tigers can continue their participation in continental and regional tournaments without restriction.
AFC general secretary Windsor John confirmed that the continental governing body has already begun reviewing the case after receiving the full case file from FIFA.
“We already received the full case file from FIFA. The Disciplinary Committee has started the process with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM),” Windsor said.
Importantly, the AFC moved forward with its review without waiting for the full documentation from the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS).
The controversy centres around seven heritage players who were suspended for 12 months by FIFA due to issues related to documentation used to establish their eligibility for the Malaysian national team among them are three players currently representing JDT: João Figueiredo, Héctor Hevel, Jon Irazabal
Despite the suspension for international duty, AFC confirmed that the ruling does not extend to club competitions.
Windsor emphasised that the confederation’s authority in such cases only applies to national team eligibility matters.
“Eligibility is something we can act on, but only for national team matches,” he explained.
“Clubs competing in AFC competitions are completely unaffected because eligibility rules apply only to national teams.”
This clarification provides reassurance for Malaysian clubs currently competing in regional and continental tournaments.
The confirmation is especially important for Johor Darul Ta’zim, who are currently competing in the AFC Champions League Elite, as well as for Malaysian clubs involved in the ASEAN Club Championship organised by the ASEAN Football Federation.
Windsor reiterated that club competitions under AFC do not impose nationality restrictions on player eligibility.
“Because there is no violation of any regulations, eligibility applies only to national teams. For clubs in AFC competitions, there is no nationality criterion to play,” he added.
Credit Photo : Jayden Seah/SNE-Photo
