Sudden removal of the Independent Investigation Committee's report, FAM quickly issues an explanation

Yusoff confirmed that after the legal process is concluded, FAM will republish the IIC report for the public.

"I believe we published the report because the IIC report is a public document. That is why we posted it that afternoon. However, we made a mistake with the timing, as our deadline to submit documents to CAS was December 18.

"We took down the report to ensure it would not affect the lawyers’ presentations before CAS. I assure you that once we receive approval from the legal team, we will repost the report since it is a public document. We just need a bit more time to do so. Ideally, the report should only have been posted after the CAS submission was completed," he said.

Two days ago, AFC Secretary General Windsor Paul John stated that the organization is still providing opportunities for the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to address legal matters at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

However, the AFC has also set a deadline to resolve the Malaysian football scandal by March 31, 2026, when the Asian Cup qualifiers conclude. At that time, Vietnam will host Malaysia in the final match of the third qualifying round.

Despite the additional chance granted by the AFC, FAM has repeatedly received sanctions from the Asian football body. Specifically, after the Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Nepal on November 18, FAM was fined for delayed kick-off and for sending players who did not meet regulations to the post-match press conference. The total fine reached 50,962 ringgit, equivalent to more than 328 million VND.

In the latest FIFA rankings released on December 22, Malaysia, which previously had 2 wins against Singapore and Palestine and 1 draw with Cape Verde, was penalized with losses in all three matches and lost 22.52 points. As a result, Malaysia dropped 5 places, from 116th to 121st in the world rankings.