🔗 Share this article

The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's ruling to penalize the organization for supposedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the national team for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In September, FIFA levied a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the players after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but instead in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The international football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report published on Monday.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

The Governing Body's Position on Document Falsification

"Forgery represents, pure and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents undermines the heart of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of sportsmanship," added Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's document claims that FAM conceded it "was contacted by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to independently verify the validity of the papers."

"Initial documentation showed a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it noted.

The organization also mentioned it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM reacted to FIFA's allegations in a statement on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Claims that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided so far," the statement said.

The association will present an official appeal of FIFA's ruling, using authentic papers that have been verified by the national authorities.

Regional Context and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a statement that "FAM must finish the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by FIFA."

"Supporters are upset, disappointed and disappointed," she remarked.

Present Situation and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of uncertainty surrounding the squad's composition, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting Laos on Thursday.