Kathmandu: The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has lodged an official appeal with FIFA. They seek to overturn Nepal’s 2–0 loss to Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers earlier this year.
The appeal follows revelations that Malaysia fielded an ineligible player during the March fixture, played in Johor, Malaysia.
Last month, FIFA banned seven Malaysian foreign-born players for one year. They also fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) $440,000 after discovering that they had submitted forged ancestry documents. Among the sanctioned players was Hector Hevel, who scored Malaysia’s opening goal in the match against Nepal.
“We have reached out regarding an ineligible player in the match,” said Indra Man Tuladhar, CEO of ANFA, while speaking to AFP. Thus, the result has to be overturned. FIFA’s investigation revealed that none of the seven players had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia. This contradicted the eligibility documents submitted by the FAM.
Nepal has lodged a complaint with FIFA to overturn its 2-0 defeat to Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, alleging that Malaysia fielded an ineligible player.
This follows FIFA’s ruling that Hector Hevel, who scored one of the two goals, was among seven heritage players… https://t.co/9cmBJksJhT pic.twitter.com/pRDo0oLIey
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) October 16, 2025The governing body accused the Malaysian federation of using doctored or false ancestry records to naturalise players. The FAM, however, denied any wrongdoing, claiming it was unaware of any document irregularities.
All seven banned players had previously represented Malaysia in the 4–0 win over Vietnam during the same qualification campaign in June.
If Nepal’s appeal is upheld, it could potentially alter Group F standings in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. As of now, Malaysia sits at the top of the group with 12 points. Vietnam follows with 9 points, and Laos with 3. Nepal remains bottom of the table, yet to secure a point after four matches.
