🔗 Share this article

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the body for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for one year.

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body restated its claims about doctored documentation in a official investigation report released on Monday.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's four-nil victory over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

FIFA's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery constitutes, pure and simple, a type of cheating," said FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the basic tenets of football, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Response and Challenge Strategy

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

"Initial documentation showed a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it said.

The organization also said it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that players 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the statement said.

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

Southeast Asian Context and Political Reactions

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

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, stated in a release that "the football association needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to every disclosure from the global authority."

"Supporters are angry, hurt and disappointed," she added.

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Despite uncertainty surrounding the national team's composition, the team is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting the Laotian team on Thursday.