The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) plans to challenge Fifa’s decision to penalize it over accusations that it falsified citizenship documents for seven foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for one year.
In September, Fifa imposed a $438,000 fine on FAM and suspended the players after discovering their grandparents were not born in Malaysia, as previously claimed, but rather in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Spain. A disciplinary committee report published on Monday reaffirmed Fifa’s findings regarding the altered or forged paperwork.
Fifa’s "grandfather rule" permits overseas-born players to represent a national team if their parents or grandparents were born in that country, ensuring teams do not rely excessively on recruiting foreign talent for competitive gain.
Each of the players—who featured in Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier in June—was also fined $2,500.
Among those sanctioned are Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, Dutch-born Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano, and Brazilian-born Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo.
Fifa’s report stated that forgery “constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating.”
Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of Fifa’s disciplinary committee, emphasized, “Forgery undermines the core principles of football, not just eligibility rules but also the integrity of fair play.”
The report also indicated that FAM acknowledged being approached by third parties regarding the players’ backgrounds but failed to confirm the validity of their documents independently. It added that the original birth certificates revealed significant inconsistencies with the submitted records.
Fifa further noted it easily obtained authentic documents, exposing FAM’s “lack of proper diligence.”
In a Tuesday statement, FAM defended itself, attributing the discrepancies to an “administrative error” and insisting the players are “genuine Malaysian citizens.” The association dismissed claims that the players knowingly used false documents, stating no concrete proof had been provided.
FAM intends to appeal Fifa’s decision using government-verified documents.
Recently, Southeast Asian nations have stepped up efforts to naturalize players, following Indonesia’s approach of recruiting athletes of its diaspora, such as Dutch-born footballers.
Malaysia’s sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, urged FAM to actively engage in the appeal process, stressing the need for a clear response to Fifa’s findings.
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