"there was real jubilation among the 60,000 home spectators upon the final whistle in Kuala Lumpur on on 10 June. A 4-0 win over regional rivals Vietnam not just kept the Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tigers) on course for the 2027 Asian Cup but well and truly confirmed they were dining back at the top table in southeast Asia. Four months later, they are still the talk of the region of 650 million people, but not in a good way."
"Seven players from Argentina, Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands with a grandparent from Malaysia were naturalised. All seven played against Vietnam; two scored. The day after, we now know, Fifa received a complaint about their eligibility and started investigating. On 22 September, came sanctions. All seven players were hit with a 12-month ban from all football, which came as a shock, not least to La Liga club Alaves as their defender Facundo Garces had played in all six games of the current season before that."
Sixty thousand spectators celebrated a 4-0 win over Vietnam that initially signaled Malaysia's resurgence in Southeast Asian football and progress toward the 2027 Asian Cup. The crown prince of Johor identified six to seven heritage players and sought government help to obtain Malaysian passports so they could play in qualifiers. Seven foreign-born players with Malaysian grandparents were naturalised and all played in the Vietnam match; two scored. FIFA received a complaint, investigated, and on 22 September imposed sanctions: 12-month bans for all seven players and a $438,000 fine for the Football Association of Malaysia amid allegations of doctored eligibility documentation. Public reaction in Malaysia was divided.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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