The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has confirmed that the registration of three heritage players from Johor Darul Ta'zim — Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel — as well as Gabriel Palmero of Kuching City FC as local players fully complies with the Malaysia League Competition Regulations for the 2025–2026 season.
According to the Malaysia League Manual Edition 2025–2026, under Competition Regulations Article 3: Registration and Transfer System for Officials and Players, specifically section 3.3 under the Football Association of Malaysia’s Football Information Management System MYPAS (FIFA CONNECT), clubs are required to submit identification documents when registering players.
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For the category of Local and Foreign Players, the regulations state that clubs must provide:
1) A coloured copy of the identity card OR
2) A coloured copy of the passport.
This requirement was further clarified through a circular issued to all Malaysia League clubs on 12 June 2025, where Clause 8.2 states that the relevant documents must be updated and uploaded in PDF format for approval under the Local and Foreign Players category.
Based on the verification process, MFL confirmed that the four players had completed the registration procedure in accordance with league regulations by submitting valid identity cards issued by the National Registration Department, allowing them to be registered as local players for the 2025–2026 Malaysia League season.
“As such, there has been no breach of regulations in the registration of Figueiredo, Irazabal, Hevel and Palmero by their respective clubs this season,” MFL said in an official statement.
However, despite their valid registration status, the four players are still required to serve a 12-month suspension from official matches following a recent ruling by both FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The decision means that although they are officially registered as local players in the Malaysia League, they remain ineligible to feature in official matches until the suspension period has been completed.
