There were plenty of anger from Malaysia after its failure to qualify for the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand when they could only finish second behind China in the qualifiers group stage, losing out by goal difference. Only the group winners were guaranteed a direct spot into the finals and by finishing second, Malaysia's hopes rested on being one of the best four second placed teams.
Due to Pakistan pulling out from the qualifiers before it even started, the rules follows that the result against the bottom placed team will not count towards the rankings of the best four second place teams.