🔗 Share this article

The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for supposedly forging the nationality papers of seven overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and banned the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and Spain. The international football governing body restated its assertions about doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee report released on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Document Falsification

"Document falsification represents, plain and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents strikes at the very core of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Response and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document claims that FAM admitted it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the papers."

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

The organization also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to FIFA's allegations in a statement on the following day, maintaining the discrepancies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Allegations that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided so far," the announcement declared.

The governing body will submit an official appeal of the international body's decision, using authentic papers that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Official Responses

South-east Asian countries have recently pursued hiring campaigns for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

"Supporters are upset, hurt and let down," she remarked.

Current Situation and Forthcoming Matches

Regardless of doubt regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing the Laotian team on Thursday.