Johor Darul Ta’zim were already two goals behind when Xisco Muñoz made his first move after half-time against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
It was 3 November, and JDT were struggling to find a way back into their AFC Champions League Elite match in South Korea.
Muñoz turned to João Figueiredo.
The forward had only recently become eligible to play official matches again after serving a suspension connected to Malaysia’s national-team eligibility controversy. He replaced Jonathan Silva in the 46th minute, with almost an entire half remaining to help JDT recover.
Another returning player, Jon Irazábal, was also sitting on the bench. His opportunity came much later, when he replaced Antonio Glauder in the 87th minute.
JDT eventually lost 2–0.
For Muñoz, the defeat ended his team’s unbeaten start to the continental campaign. Yet the substitutions offered an interesting glimpse into another challenge facing the club.
Four players had become available again after their suspensions. Only two made the matchday squad against Jeonbuk, and even those two were given very different responsibilities.
Muñoz had more choices. He was not rushing to use all of them.
A return that had been months in the making
The Malaysian Football League confirmed on 1 November that the 12-month suspensions involving seven players in Malaysia’s eligibility-document case had ended.
Four were JDT players: Figueiredo, Irazábal, midfielder Héctor Hevel and defender Gabriel Palmero.
Their availability was useful news for a club balancing domestic competitions with the demands of continental football. Muñoz could once again consider additional options in attack, midfield and defence.
But these players had not spent the entire suspension period completely separated from football.
In January, the Court of Arbitration for Sport temporarily stayed the suspensions while their appeals were being considered.
JDT took advantage of that opportunity.
On 29 January, Figueiredo, Irazábal and Hevel all started against Shan United in the ASEAN Club Championship. JDT won 3–0, with Figueiredo providing an assist and Hevel contributing a corner that helped create another goal.
For a brief period, they were back playing competitive football.
That changed on 5 March, when CAS maintained the 12-month suspensions but limited their scope to official matches rather than all football-related activities.
The players could continue training with JDT’s first team, although they were no longer permitted to compete in official fixtures while the suspensions remained in force.
By November, the bans had run their course.
For Muñoz, the issue was no longer whether he was allowed to select these players. It was how quickly he should bring them back into competitive football.
He had already indicated that he would be careful.
Speaking before their return, Muñoz welcomed the additional squad options but also stressed the importance of managing their workload after such a long period without regular competition. Pushing them too quickly carried an injury risk.
His team selection against Jeonbuk reflected that thinking.
Figueiredo and Irazábal were on the bench. Hevel and Palmero were not included in the published matchday squad.
The four players had cleared the same disciplinary hurdle, but their routes back into the team were already taking different shapes.
Figueiredo came on with a game to rescue
Jeonbuk had made JDT’s task difficult before the interval.
In the 22nd minute, Bruno Mota headed home a delivery from Kim Jin-gyu. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Italo converted a penalty after JDT goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi conceded a foul.
JDT went into the dressing room trailing 2–0.
Muñoz needed more from his attack, and Figueiredo offered another option.
His introduction also came at a time when JDT were managing concerns over Bérgson’s fitness. The Brazilian striker had scored as a substitute against Port FC on 27 October before being forced off with an injury problem. He was absent from the squad against Jeonbuk.
Figueiredo’s return therefore gave Muñoz some welcome attacking depth.
The coach replaced Silva, who had been operating on the left, with the returning forward. It was an attacking-minded change in a match JDT needed to chase, although the exact positional adjustments require closer video examination.
JDT continued looking for a breakthrough.
According to FotMob, the Malaysian champions finished with 22 shots, six on target and 57% possession. Jeonbuk managed 11 shots, with just two on target.
Those numbers tell a frustrating story for JDT. They had enough possession and shooting opportunities to threaten their opponents, but could not convert any of them into a goal.
The statistics also have limits. They cover the full match, rather than isolating Figueiredo’s contribution after his introduction. They cannot establish how many chances he personally created or how much the change improved JDT’s attack.
What the substitution does reveal is the responsibility Muñoz was prepared to give him.
This was not a player being brought on for a ceremonial appearance in the final moments. Figueiredo had nearly an entire half to influence a difficult continental match.
That is a meaningful first assignment after returning to official competition.
Irazábal had a much shorter evening
Irazábal’s introduction came in different circumstances.
By the 87th minute, JDT were still trailing by two goals. The defender replaced Glauder with little time remaining.
His return was important personally, but the appearance provided limited evidence about his place in the team.
A few minutes on the pitch could not establish whether Muñoz was ready to trust him across a full match, particularly against opponents capable of applying sustained attacking pressure.
The contrast with Figueiredo was clear.
Both players had completed their suspensions. Both were available to the manager, and both eventually played.
But Figueiredo received almost 45 minutes in which JDT were actively pursuing a comeback. Irazábal received only the closing minutes.
Different positions and match circumstances naturally influence substitution decisions. Even so, the choices showed that Muñoz was reintegrating his returning players individually rather than treating them as a group that had to be restored together.
Jeonbuk had already done the damage
It would be easy to connect JDT’s defeat with the return of their suspended players, particularly given the attention surrounding the case.
The timing does not support that explanation.
Both Jeonbuk goals came before Figueiredo or Irazábal entered the match.
The home side had taken advantage of two first-half opportunities, while JDT were left trying to recover from a deficit they never managed to reduce.
Afterwards, Muñoz pointed towards his team’s need for greater maturity in away matches, better control of the opportunities conceded and sharper finishing.
Those are football problems JDT must address regardless of which returning players are selected.
There is also a legal distinction worth preserving.
The expiry of the players’ disciplinary suspensions allows them to resume official club competition. It does not, by itself, settle the separate questions surrounding their eligibility to represent Malaysia internationally.
For JDT, the immediate benefit is straightforward: Muñoz has more footballers available when making his selections.
How much those players contribute will depend on their fitness, the demands of each match and the roles the coach believes they can perform.
The next team sheet will tell us more
JDT have little time before their next assignments.
They host DPMM on 8 November in the second leg of their FA Cup semi-final, carrying a 2–0 advantage from the first meeting.
On 24 November, they return to AFC Champions League Elite action away to Ratchaburi in Thailand.
Those matches will give Muñoz further opportunities to manage the returning players in different competitive situations.
Figueiredo has already been trusted with a substantial period of football against Jeonbuk. Another meaningful appearance, or a place in the starting eleven, would show that his reintegration is progressing.
Irazábal has taken the first step back onto the field. A longer defensive assignment would tell us considerably more about his place in Muñoz’s plans.
Hevel and Palmero have yet to reach that stage in this latest return, having missed the Jeonbuk matchday squad.
JDT’s 2–0 defeat demonstrated that regaining players does not automatically solve problems on the pitch.
But Muñoz’s first decisions were revealing.
He did not simply put four returning players back where they had once been. He chose two for the squad, gave one almost a full half and introduced the other near the end.
The suspensions are over. The competition for places has resumed.
And Muñoz is already deciding who gets the responsibility that comes with being back.
Sources
- CAS — Decision of 5 March 2026
- MFL — January 2026 suspension update
- The Star — JDT’s January return against Shan United
- Bernama — Suspension expiry confirmed, 1 November
- Stadium Astro — Muñoz discusses returning players
- AFC — Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–0 JDT
- FotMob — Match statistics and substitutions
- The Star — Muñoz’s post-match reaction
- JDT — 2026/27 fixture schedule