KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has contacted the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Asean Football Federation (AFF) to take action over the controversy over the Jalur Gemilang being “desecrated” during the Asean Under-23 Championship against Indonesia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Monday.
FAM president Datuk Mohd Joehari Mohd Ayub said he views the incident seriously and is deeply disappointed that it occurred in a match that saw the national squad tied 0-0 with the hosts.
“We don’t condone this kind of act, whether at the national or international level. We are dealing with the AFC and AFF (for the next course of action),” he said after the launch of the 2025 National Women’s League here today.
Recently, a screenshot of the Jalur Gemilang with an “X” drawn on it and held upside down by Indonesian fans during the match went viral on social media.
The goalless draw saw Malaysia failing to advance to the semi-finals of the Asean Under-23 Championship after finishing the group stage in third place with four points, behind group winners Indonesia (seven points) and the Philippines (six points). Brunei finished bottom of the group with no points.
Malaysia began their campaign with a 2-0 loss to the Philippines before bouncing back to thrash Brunei 7-1. They, however, failed to beat Indonesia, who only needed a draw to advance to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Joehari will discuss further action with FAM lawyers over how an Indonesian football observer claimed Malaysia had been suspended by the International Football Federation until 2027.
The observer, on a podcast, accused FAM of fielding players of unclear lineage in the Harimau Malaya squad.
The squad, strengthened by the presence of seven new heritage players, including Facundo Garces, Joao Figueiredo, Imanol Machuca and Rodrigo Holgado, created a big impact as they thrashed Vietnam 4-0 in their second Group F match in the 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifiers at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium last month.
Malaysia currently lead Group F with six points, followed by Vietnam and Laos (both with three points each) and Nepal, with no points.
— Bernama
