09/12/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | DEC 9, 2025

31 FAM pursues appeal Football association to challenge Fifa sactions, ban T HE Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has con firmed that it has submitted its Statement of Appeal to process transparently and in full respect of all established legal procedures,” he said in an FAM statement yesterday, adding that FAM will share updates on subsequent developments. activities for 12 months. Hopes for the penalty to be reduced were dashed when the Fifa Appeal Committee rejected the appeals filed by FAM and the players on Nov 3, thereby upholding the Disciplinary

RESULTS & STANDINGS

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Brighton 1 (Rutter 90+1) West Ham 1 (Bowen 73) , Fulham 1 (Wilson 38) Crystal Palace 2 (Nketiah 20, Guehi 87) . P W D L F A Pts Arsenal 1510 3 2 28 9 33 Man City 15 10 1 4 35 16 31 Aston Villa 15 9 3 3 22 15 30 Crystal Palace 15 7 5 3 20 12 26 Chelsea 15 7 4 4 25 15 25 Everton 15 7 3 5 18 17 24 Brighton 15 6 5 4 25 21 23 Sunderland 15 6 5 4 18 17 23 Liverpool 15 7 2 6 24 24 23 Spurs 15 6 4 5 25 18 22 Newcastle 15 6 4 5 21 19 22 Man Utd 14 6 4 4 22 21 22 Bournemouth15 5 5 5 21 24 20 Brentford 15 6 1 8 21 24 19 Fulham 15 5 2 8 20 24 17 Leeds 15 4 3 8 19 29 15 Nottm Forest 15 4 3 8 14 25 15 West Ham 15 3 4 8 17 29 13 Burnley 15 3 1 1116 30 10 Wolves 14 0 2 12 7 29 2 LA LIGA Elche 3 (Valera 40, Mir 51, 57) Girona 0, Valencia 1 (Duro 90+3) Sevilla 1 (Tarrega 58-og) , Espanyol 1 (Fernan dez 39-pen) Rayo Vallecano 0, Real Madrid 0 Celta Vigo 2 (Swedberg 53, 90+3) . Top 6 P W D L F A Pts Barcelona 16 13 1 2 47 20 40 Real Madrid 16 11 3 2 32 15 36 Villarreal 15 11 2 2 31 13 35 Atleti 16 9 4 3 28 15 31 Espanyol 15 8 3 4 19 16 27 Real Betis 15 6 6 3 25 19 24 SERIE A Cagliari 1 (Gaetano 82) Roma 0, Cremonese 2 (Bonazzoli 53-pen, Sanabria 78) Lecce 0, Lazio 1 (Isaksen 38) Bologna 1 (Odgaard 40) , Napoli 2 (Hojlund 7, 78) Juventus 1 (Yildiz 59) . Top 6 P W D L F A Pts Napoli 14 10 1 3 22 12 31 Inter Milan 14 10 0 4 32 13 30 AC Milan 13 8 4 1 19 9 28 Roma 14 9 0 5 15 8 27 Bologna 14 7 4 3 23 12 25 Como 14 6 6 2 19 9 24 BUNDESLIGA Hamburger 3 Werder Bremen 2, Borussia Dortmund 2 Hoffenheim 0. Top 6 P W D L F A Pts Bayern 1312 1 0 49 9 37 RB Leipzig 13 9 2 2 28 13 29 Dortmund 13 8 4 1 23 11 28 Leverkusen 13 7 2 4 28 19 23 Hoffenheim 13 7 2 4 25 19 23 Stuttgart 13 7 1 5 21 22 22 FRENCH LIGUE 1 Nice 0 Angers 1, Le Havre 0 Paris FC 0, Auxerre 3 Metz 1, Lorient 1 Lyon 0. Top 6 P W D L F A Pts Lens 15 11 1 3 26 13 34 Paris SG 15 10 3 2 32 12 33 Marseille 15 9 2 4 35 15 29 Lille 15 9 2 4 29 17 29 Lyon 15 7 3 5 21 16 24 Rennes 15 6 6 3 24 23 24

Investigations revealed that FAM had submitted documents believed to have been falsified to confirm the eligibility of the players, allowing them to compete in the third round match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers on June 10, where Malaysia won 4-0 against Vietnam in their Group F match. Consequently, FAM was ordered to pay a hefty total fine of CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM11,000) and suspended from all football-related

the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding FIFA’s sanctions against the national football body and seven heritage players. Its acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said CAS has given FAM’s legal representatives 10 days, until Dec 18, to submit the full written arguments. “FAM reiterates its full commitment to undergoing this

On Sept 26, FIFA confirmed that FAM and seven heritage players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel – were found guilty of violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) related to document falsification.

Committee’s decision on the violation of Article 22 of the FDC. As such, FAM has to bring the case to CAS to ensure justice is served and to defend the integrity of the player eligibility process set by the government and the relevant authorities. – Bernama

Penang FC set for major shake-up after thrashing

Thinaah savours SEA Games debut

PENANG FC is expected to undergo a major shake-up in its lineup following a crushing defeat to Selangor FC in the Super League match at the Bandaraya Stadium in George Town, Penangon Sunday night night. Head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail expressed disappointment with his team’s lacklustre performance, which was marred by numerous basic mistakes and saw them concede five goals. “I don’t want to offer excuses for this defeat, but I am very disappointed. Even though we were three goals down at halftime, the players still showed a desire to fight back,”he said after the match. “However, things changed in the second half when we conceded after a simple mistake - a misplaced back pass to the goalkeeper that was intercepted by the opposing striker. That moment completely broke the team’s fighting spirit.” The 49-year-old coach acknowledged the frustration of fans who turned up at the stadium to show their support, only to be met with such a disappointing result. “I am even more disappointed with what happened tonight, so I will take action – a major overhaul,” he said. He hoped the players would learn from the defeat and avoid repeating the same mistakes, especially with the team now facing a difficult situation. Meanwhile, Selangor FC head coach Christophe Gamel expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance, praising their excellent display despite having their concentration disrupted when the match had to be halted twice due to lighting issues at the stadium. “We have travelled a lot, so it was a bit unsettling and tiring. You have to focus, then refocus, focus again, and refocus.” he said. Last night’s match saw Selangor cruise to a 5-1 victory, though the game was halted twice in the first half due to malfunctioning floodlights at the stadium. The defeat – Penang’s seventh this season – leaves the Harimau Kumbang squad rooted to the bottom of the league with only five points from 10 matches, while the Red Giants sit in fourth place with 19 points. – Bernama Yazid scored a brace of goals for DPMM FC in a span of five minutes, his first in the 21st and the second in the 26th to put the home team firmly in the driver’s seat as the match entered halftime. Imigresen enjoyed a brief resurgence during the second half, when Wilmar Jordan Gil found the net once again with a penalty in the 71st minute to close the gap to 3-2, but it was all in vain as Miguel Oliveira tucked in DPMM’s fourth and last goal of the match in the 86th minute. Even with Sunday’s win, Imigresen remains ninth in league standings with nine points, while DPMM is 10th with a single point dividing the two teams.

M. Thinaah (left) and Pearly Tan in action against Indonesia in the women’s badminton team semifinals at the SEA Games in Thailand. – BERNAMAPIC

SHE may be Malaysia’s most successful women’s doubles badminton player, achieving numerous successes on the World Tour, World Championships and even performed on the Olympic stage, but Thinaah Muralitharan feels the SEA Games is no less significant. Making her long-awaited debut at the biennial Games here in Thailand for the 2025 edition with partner Pearly Tan, Thinaah pointed out that every competition demands the same level of focus and commitment, regardless of its status. Despite having tasted the intensity of top-tier competitions, the 27-year-old said the honour of representing Malaysia remains unchanged, with her sole objective being to give her all on court throughout the SEA Games campaign. “It doesn’t matter whether you play World Tour tournaments, Olympic Games or Asian Games but this is also a big tournament for us,” she told reporters in Bangkok yesterday. “To be in the SEA Games is something very special for both of us. So, we want to do the best and leave no regrets on court.” Earlier, the world No. 2 pair and 2025 World Championships runners-up were made to slog before prevailing against Rachel Allessya Rose Febi Setianingrum 21-14, 17-21, 21-16, en route to earning the first point that levelled the tie in the women’s team event semifinals (1-1) with Indonesia. However, Malaysia eventually missed out on a place to the final after Indonesia’s world No. 76 Mutiara Ayu Puspitasari delivered the winning point in the fifth and decisive match, defeating Siti Zulaikha Muhammad Azmi 21-18, 21-16 at Gymnasium 4, Thammasat University Rangsit Campus. Syarman Mat Tee (17’) and Shafiq Ikhmal Suzaini (29’). “Today we saw players proving they are capable of competing against the home team. Even though we’re playing in our opponents’ ground, we can see our players scoring goals. Every opportunity they had, they scored. That’s the best in improvement from the first game, second game and most importantly is today’s win that makes their path smoother in the semifinal and finals,” team coach Wan Mohd Roslan Wan Abd Rahman said when met after the match. The men’s team will play against the Philippines in the semifinal. Meanwhile, the women’s five-a-side team also emerged as

National women’s singles head coach Iskandar Zulkarnain said Siti Zulaikha, ranked 91st in the world, struggled to maintain focus and power after the interval in the second game despite making a promising start. “I think Siti Zulaikha’s focus dropped slightly (after second-game interval) and could not maintain her power in returning her opponent’s shots,” he told reporters in a post-match interview at the mixed zone. Malaysia had earlier gotten off to a poor start when first singles player K. Letshanaa was outclassed by Putri Kusuma Wardani, who won 21-9, 21-10 in 34 minutes but drew level through Pearly-Thinaah. Malaysia’s second singles player and world No, 44 Wong Ling Ching then pulled off a major upset by defeating world No. 10 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 22-20, 15-21, 21-16 in a 66 minute duel. Ling Ching, who has been down with the flu in recent days, admitted she did not expect such an outcome in their first-ever meeting. “I now she is a skilful and experienced player. I had expected to be thrashed by her,” she said. However, Indonesia dragged the tie into the decider as their world No. 59 pair Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari overwhelmed the scratch combination of Go Pei Kee-Toh Ee Wei 21-10, 21-9. Mutiara then rose to the occasion to seal the tie for Indonesia. Indonesia will face defending champions Thailand in the final for the fourth consecutive edition after the hosts brushed aside Singapore 3-0 in the other semifinal. Today’s results meant Malaysia share the bronze medal with Singapore in the women’s team event. – Bernama Group A champions after trouncing the Philippines 13-0 in the morning match and defeated Thailand 7-2 in the afternoon. DPMM notch second win DPMM FC notched their second Super League win this season after beating Imigresen FC 4-2 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Brunei un Sunday night Imigresen started strong with Wilmar Jordan Gil scoring in the fifth minute but the early goal seemed to have stung the home team into action and ten minutes later, DPMM FC equalised through Azwan Ali. Then Hakeme

BRIEFS

Hockey boys through to semis MALAYSIA emerged as Group A champions of the 2025 South East Asian Games men’s five-a side hockey event with a 9-1 drubbing of Thailand at the Royal Thai Air Force STadium yesterday. Malaysia took control of the game with three players, Kamarulzaman Kamaruddin (3’, 15’), Akhimullah Anuar Esook (9’, 25’) and Abid Sufian Mat Ruslee (18’, 26’) scoring a brace of goals each, while the remaining three goals came from Muhibuddin Moharam (10’),