Malaysia Rejects FIFA Allegations of Forged Player Nationality Documents, Will Appeal Sanctions
The Malaysian Football Association (Malaysia's football governing body) has declared it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the body for supposedly falsifying the nationality papers of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the national team for 12 months.
The Global Football Body's Claims and Fines
In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the players after discovering that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The global football authority restated its claims about falsified papers in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.
Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil win 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 Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.
The Governing Body's Stance on Document Falsification
"Document falsification represents, pure and simple, a type of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its report.
"Forging documents undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of football, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a fair game and the concept of sportsmanship," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.
The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy
The international body's document claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the validity of the documentation."
"Initial documentation indicated a stark difference to the submitted papers," it said.
The organization also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.
The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, maintaining the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."
"Allegations that players 'obtained or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the statement said.
The association will submit an official appeal of the international body's decision, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities.
Regional Background and Political Responses
South-east Asian nations have lately engaged in hiring campaigns for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.
Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, said in a statement 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 upset, hurt and let down," she added.
Current Situation and Forthcoming Games
Despite doubt regarding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing Laos on Thursday.
