Indonesian media express frustration on behalf of Vietnam over Malaysia's ‘stalling’ tactics.

Indonesian media similarly reveal their dissatisfaction with Malaysia contemplating a third appeal should CAS deliver an unfavorable verdict.

The high-profile legal dispute between the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and FIFA is currently the focus of Southeast Asian sports. The case is expected to conclude within January, as CAS has accepted FAM’s case for over half a month now.

However, the latest revelation from sports lawyer Erman Nik Roseli stunned both the audience and regional media. He stated that if CAS rules against FAM, they could further appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT), the highest court in Switzerland. Since CAS is based in Switzerland, SFT has the authority to overturn CAS’s decision.

This information immediately stirred the regional sports community. Among them, Indonesia’s Superball newspaper expressed frustration on Vietnam’s behalf with the headline: “Does Malaysia want to fight FIFA to the end, or just hurt Vietnam?”

In the article, the Indonesian sports outlet analyzed that FAM’s chances of reversing the situation are very slim: “In fact, only about 6% of CAS cases have been taken to the SFT, but this remains a path FAM might choose to delay the final ruling.”

“FAM’s decision to pursue the case to the very end has created a unique deadlock. This move has prevented the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from imposing sanctions related to Malaysia’s two 0-3 defeats to Vietnam and Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers last June,” Superball commented.

Previously, French lawyer Etienne Rizk also told Malaysian media that FAM’s chances of overturning the situation are almost nonexistent. Instead, FAM seems to have the sole purpose of ‘buying time’, delaying the AFC’s announcement of penalties for the Asian Cup qualifiers as long as possible.

Therefore, if FAM’s strategy for a third appeal truly exists, it will only bring more criticism and negative perceptions from fans and regional media.