🔗 Share this article

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the country for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the players after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but instead in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football governing body restated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on Monday.

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

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.

The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery constitutes, plain and simple, a type of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of football, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates showed a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM reacted to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "administrative error" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

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

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

Regional Background and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have lately engaged in recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a statement that "FAM needs to complete the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

"Fans are angry, hurt and let down," she added.

Current Status and Forthcoming Matches

Regardless of uncertainty regarding the squad's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, meeting the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.