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The complaint handling process at FIFA follows a well-established pattern common in international sports federations, consisting of four main stages: complaint, discipline, appeal and potential escalation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if requested.

In Malaysia’s case, FIFA began investigating the player ineligibity allegations in June and after reviewing the evidence, it announced disciplinary sanctions on Sept. 26. These sanctions included a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (US$437,000) for FAM, and a 12-month ban from football- activities for the players involved.

Following the announcement, FAM was granted 10 days to request a detailed report from FIFA, which they did. On Monday, FIFA released a 19-page report outlining the full disciplinary verdict, which detailed its discovery that the players’ grandparents were not born in Malaysia as FAM had informed during the players’ naturalization process.

FAM has within three days to notify FIFA whether they wish to appeal. If they do, they will have five additional days to submit their official appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee (FAC), with the final deadline set for Oct. 14.

The appeal process is not bound by a fixed timeline, but typically takes between 30 and 60 days. In simpler cases, such as those involving red cards or fines, the process can be resolved in two to four weeks.

Due to the complexity of the allegations against FAM, including issues of player eligibility, document falsification and potential sanctions against both the players and the national team, this appeal could take between two and three months. In rare cases, the FAC may extend this period up to six months if further evidence is required or a hearing is scheduled.

The Monday disciplinary report referenced previous cases, such as that of Camila Maria, a player from Equatorial Guinea, who was banned for 10 months and fined 2000 Swiss francs after using falsified documents to compete in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers. After the FAC rejected her appeal three months later, the case was concluded. The Equatoguinean Football Federation was also fined 40,000 Swiss francs and disqualified from the tournaments.

FAC decision is considered FIFA’s final judgment, but not the end of the case. If found guilty, FAM has 10 days from the date of the decision to submit a detailed appeal to the FAC. They then have 21 days to file an appeal to CAS.

Once a case is filed with CAS, both parties must agree to proceed to court. FIFA generally does not reject such cases and the typical response time is 20 days.

CAS then appoints an arbitrator or adjudicator and schedules a hearing, which could take one to three weeks. After receiving the full case files, it is expected to take one to three months for a hearing to be held. The final judgment is expected one to three months after the hearing.

Factors that may influence the timeline at CAS include the complexity of the case, the volume of evidence, the number of witnesses and whether the hearings are held in person or virtually. If both parties agree to an expedited procedure, the process can be completed within 30 to 45 days.

Over the past few years, the average time to process cases at CAS has been between 5.4 and 6.2 months, according to CAS’s annual reports. In 2024, the average processing time was 5.6 months.

Given the complexity of the case and the potential for delays, the final resolution between FAM and FIFA may not be reached until the conclusion of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, which end on June 10, 2026. If the issue is not resolved by that time, Malaysia’s participation in the tournament could be at risk, even if they finish as group winners.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the organizer of the 2027 Asian Cup, has indicated that it will not make any decisions regarding this case until the final ruling is made by either the FIFA Appeal Committee or CAS. If Malaysia is found guilty of fielding ineligible players, they could be disqualified from the qualifiers, or the matches involving the players in question. including a 4-0 win over Vietnam, could be reversed as 0-3 losses.