Nepal Asks FIFA To Overturn Malaysia 2–0 Defeat Over Ineligible Player
Nepal has appealed to FIFA to overturn its 2–0 defeat to Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers held in March, alleging that Malaysia fielded an ineligible player during the match.
The appeal comes after FIFA, last month, banned seven Malaysian foreign-born players for one year and fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) $440,000 for submitting forged ancestry documents. One of the banned players, Hector Hevel, had scored Malaysia’s opening goal in the fixture played in Johor.
“We have reached out regarding an ineligible player in the match. Thus, the result has to be overturned,” said Indra Man Tuladhar, CEO of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), in an interview with AFP.
FIFA had accused FAM of presenting doctored or false documents claiming that the seven players had Malaysian ancestry, which made them eligible to represent the national team. However, FAM denied any wrongdoing.
According to FIFA’s investigation, none of the players had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia. All seven also featured in Malaysia’s 4–0 win against Vietnam in the Asian Cup qualifiers in June.
Nepal currently sits bottom of Group F with no points from four matches, while Malaysia leads the group with 12 points. Vietnam is second with nine points, and Laos is third with three.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
