Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), widely regarded as Malaysia’s flagship football institution, has been hit with a US$5,000 (RM23,500) fine by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after the club failed to provide a clean and compliant official training site before their ACLE showdown against Japan’s Machida Zelvia.
According to the AFC disciplinary ruling, the penalty imposed on JDT accounts for 38% of all fines issued to Malaysian football entities in the latest announcement — a figure that has sparked renewed scrutiny over operational standards at a club that positions itself as Southeast Asia’s gold standard.
The issue centres on the club’s failure to ensure the designated training site met AFC’s cleanliness and readiness requirements, an expectation clearly mandated for all teams competing in the continental competition. While the fine is not among the heaviest issued by the AFC, its symbolic impact is significant given JDT’s reputation and strong infrastructural backing.
In addition, Selangor FC were fined US$1,250 (RM5,875) after delaying the second-half kickoff by 80 seconds during their AFC Champions League Two 2025/26 clash against Persib Bandung on October 23.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) were issued a US$1,875 (RM8,812) penalty for a 150-second delay to the restart of Malaysia’s Asian Cup qualifying match against Laos on October 14.
The most severe individual sanction came from Kelana United, where fitness coach Mohd Zahidibudiman Ibrahim was fined US$5,000 (RM23,500) — matching JDT’s penalty — for conduct deemed to have brought the game into disrepute and violated the AFC’s integrity-of-conduct rules.
Credit Photo : Jayden Seah/SNE-Photo
