The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nominated the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for the Member Association of the Year (Gold) award on 16 October 2026. This is striking because the nomination arrives amid a major naturalisation scandal.

The nomination places Malaysia alongside Hong Kong and India in the Gold tier. The AFC did not publicly disclose the evaluation criteria it used, nor did it give any explanation for including FAM after the recent controversy.

The controversy stems from a serious player naturalisation scandal. FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the AFC all issued heavy punishments after investigations showed that registration documents for several naturalised players were forged.

In September 2025 FIFA fined the FAM 350,000 Swiss francs and handed each involved player a 12‑month ban from competition. Then, in March 2026 the AFC ruled that Malaysia must forfeit two 2027 Asian Cup qualifying games and imposed a $50,000 fine, stripping the 4‑0 win over Vietnam and the 2‑0 win over Nepal.

The contrast between a prestigious award nomination and the severe sanctions highlights the complexity of football governance in Asia. It shows that even with serious breaches, a national association can still be recognised by the AFC.