CONFIRMATION: Vietnam did not file a complaint against Malaysia to FIFA

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed that the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is not the party that lodged a complaint against Malaysia to FIFA.

On the afternoon of October 25, the Crown Prince of Johor (TMJ) held a press conference to answer media questions at the request of the Football Association of Malaysia regarding the issue of the illegal naturalization of seven players. The owner of Johor Darul Ta'zim Club - Crown Prince Tunku Mahkota Ismail is believed to be the main figure behind Malaysia’s recent aggressive naturalization policy.

Notably, during this press conference, the Crown Prince of Johor stated that the AFC confirmed to him that the complaint sent to FIFA about the seven naturalized Malaysian players did not come from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF):

“The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) informed me that this complaint did not come from the VFF, nor from its Secretary-General or President. It is strange that FIFA would accept such a complaint from anyone.”

Previously, FIFA revealed that the complaint regarding the illegal naturalization of the seven Malaysian players was submitted just one day after Vietnam’s 0-4 loss to Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, 2025. This led to many speculations that the Vietnam Football Federation was the one who filed the complaint.

Earlier, Datuk Sivasundaram, Vice President of the Football Association of Malaysia, asserted:“We believe that Vietnam has filed a complaint with FIFA.”However, when reporters asked for the basis of this statement at the press conference, Mr. Sivasundaram replied:“We have no certainty that Vietnam actually did this. But based on what happened, the Football Association of Malaysia suspects that Vietnam was behind it.”

According to FIFA’s announcement, less than a day after Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam’s national team, a complaint was lodged alleging the illegal naturalization of these seven Malaysian players. However, FIFA will keep the identity of the complainant confidential.It is known that FIFA’s investigation is conducted independently and is not related to the Vietnam Football Federation.