🔗 Share this article

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will contest FIFA's ruling to sanction the organization for allegedly falsifying the nationality papers of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the country for one year.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In September, FIFA imposed a fine of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the players after discovering that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but rather in the South American nation, Brazil, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body restated its assertions about falsified documentation in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 win over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe 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 Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery

"Document falsification represents, pure and simple, a type of dishonesty," said FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents undermines the heart of the basic tenets of football, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to play for a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of sportsmanship," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy

FIFA's document states that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to independently verify the validity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates showed a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it noted.

FIFA also said it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents easily," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM responded to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

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

The governing body will present an formal challenge of FIFA's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the national authorities.

Southeast Asian Background and Political Responses

South-east Asian countries have lately pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a release that "FAM needs to finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations from FIFA."

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

Current Status and Upcoming Matches

Despite doubt regarding the squad's lineup, the team is now ranked 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, meeting the Laotian team on Thursday.