Football

Vietnamese players will gather for training next week to prepare for their Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Nepal. Photos of VFF

HCM CITY — Việt Nam will play Nepal twice next month in the Asian Cup 2027 third round of qualifiers in HCM City against the backdrop of global headlines surrounding Malaysia’s fine over players using fake documents.

The first match, designated as Việt Nam’s home game, will take place on October 9 at Gò Đậu Stadium. The return leg, with Nepal selecting Thống Nhất Stadium as their home ground, is scheduled for five days later.

Coach Kim Sang-sik will announce his squad early next week in preparation for the games. About 30 players will gather for training on October 4. Ticket prices range from VNĐ200,000-400,000 (US$7.5-15).

After two matches in Group F, Việt Nam had one win and one loss and placed second behind Malaysia.

Matches against Nepal play a key role in helping Kim and his team maintain their hope to take a slot in the Asian Cup Finals.

Regarding the situation in Group F, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed sanctions on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players for breaches of article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code concerning forgery and falsification.

The players include Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano

"The FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to FIFA, and in doing so, it used doctored documentation to be able to field the above players," reads an article on FIFA's website.

All of them played for Malaysia who beat Việt Nam 4-0 on June 10, after which FIFA received a complaint regarding the eligibility of six of the mentioned players.

Malaysian players (in yellow) seen in the match against Việt Nam on June 10. Seven foreign-born players were found using fake documents to play under Malaysia national team jersey.

FIFA has fined the FAM $438,000. These players are fined $2,500 each and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities, effective from the date of notification of the decision on September 26.

Further, the matter of the players’ eligibility to play for the representative team of Malaysia has been referred by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to the FIFA Football Tribunal for consideration.

FAM and its players have 10 days to request a motivated decision.

Việt Nam Football Federation and Kim knew the news but they have not made any response. If the fine was officially applied Malaysia's 4-0 win could be overturned and ease Việt Nam’s heavy task in the qualifier.

After FIFA's decision comes into effect, the Asian Football Confederation's Disciplinary Committee will review and decide on how to handle FAM's violations.

Reacting to the suspension, the FAM said it would appeal the decision.

The body said it would “use all available legal channels and procedures to ensure that the interests of the players and the Malaysian national team are always protected”.

“FAM would like to emphasise that the players involved, and FAM itself have acted in good faith and with full transparency throughout this process,” the association said in a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur.

The FAM maintained that documentation and procedures were managed transparently and along FIFA guidelines.

“In fact, FIFA has previously reviewed the qualifications of the players and provided official confirmation that they are eligible to play for Malaysia,” the FAM said.

Malaysia currently place No 1 in the ranking table with six points from two matches. VNS