🔗 Share this article

The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will contest FIFA's ruling to penalize the body for allegedly falsifying the nationality papers of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the country for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and suspended the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football authority reiterated its claims about doctored papers in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined $2,500.

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of dishonesty," said FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of fair play," added a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy

FIFA's report states that the Malaysian association conceded it "was contacted by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates indicated a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents without hindrance," 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 individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Claims that players 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are baseless as no concrete proof has been provided to date," the announcement declared.

The governing body will submit an official appeal of FIFA's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Context and Official Responses

Southeast Asian countries have lately pursued hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, said in a statement that "FAM needs to finish the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations made by FIFA."

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

Current Status and Forthcoming Matches

Despite uncertainty surrounding the national team's composition, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, facing Laos on Thursday.