All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has filed a formal complaint with FIFA, seeking to overturn Nepal’s 2–0 defeat to Malaysia in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, claiming that Malaysia fielded an ineligible player during the match.
According to The Guardian, ANFA’s complaint centers on Hector Hevel, one of the goalscorers in Malaysia’s victory on March 25 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, who was later ruled ineligible by FIFA following a disciplinary investigation. Hevel had scored Malaysia’s opener before Lavere Corbin-Ong sealed the win.
Last month, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven naturalised players — including Hevel, Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, and Jon Irazabal — after determining they had breached Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code regarding document falsification.
FIFA found that FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the eligibility of those players for the third-round qualifier against Vietnam on June 10, prompting heavy penalties.
FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately RM1.8 million), while each player received a 2,000 Swiss franc (RM10,560) fine and a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
In response, FAM acknowledged a technical error by an administrative staff member and has since filed an appeal with FIFA’s Appeals Committee, which is currently under review.
If the appeal is rejected, Malaysia could face forfeiture losses (0–3) against both Vietnam and Nepal, depending on the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) final determination. Such a ruling could reshape the Group F standings and jeopardize Malaysia’s qualification hopes.
The FIFA Appeals Committee typically takes up to two months to process cases. However, if FAM escalates the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the process could extend by several more months.
With the Asian Cup qualification campaign concluding on March 31, 2026, both AFC and CAS are under mounting pressure to resolve the dispute swiftly to avoid disruptions to the competition calendar.
Credit Photo : HongZheng/Lim/SNE-Photo
