The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has urged the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Asean Football Federation (AFF) to take appropriate action following an incident involving the Jalur Gemilang during a match against Indonesia in Jakarta on Monday.
A photo showing the Jalur Gemilang held upside down and marked with an “X” by Indonesian fans during their Asean Under-23 Championship match against Malaysia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium went viral on social media.
“We do not condone such behaviour, whether nationally or internationally,” said FAM president Joehari Ayub, reported Bernama.
“We are engaging with the AFC and AFF on the next steps to be taken,” he said at the launch of the 2025 National Women’s League today.
The 0-0 draw meant Malaysia failed to qualify for the semi-finals, finishing third in Group A with four points. Indonesia topped the group with seven points, followed by the Philippines with six. Brunei ended without any points.
Malaysia started the tournament with a 2-0 loss to the Philippines before beating Brunei 7-1. The team needed to secure a win against Indonesia, who only needed a draw to progress.
Separately, Joehari said FAM is considering legal action against an Indonesian football observer who falsely claimed on a podcast that Malaysia has been suspended by Fifa until 2027.
In a podcast, the observer accused FAM of fielding players whose lineage is unclear to qualify to represent Harimau Malaya.
The Malaysian team, which recently added seven new heritage players – including Facundo Garces, Joao Figueiredo, Imanol Machuca and Rodrigo Holgado – impressed with a 4-0 win over Vietnam in their second Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Malaysia currently leads Group F with six points, ahead of Vietnam and Laos (three points each) and Nepal (without any points).
