The Malaysian Football Association Denies FIFA Allegations of Forged Player Nationality Documents, Will Challenge Sanctions
The Malaysian Football Association (Malaysia's football governing body) has declared it will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction the organization for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the country for 12 months.
The Global Football Body's Allegations and Penalties
In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and suspended the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but instead in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored documentation in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.
Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also penalized $2,500.
The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.
The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery
"Forgery represents, plain and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its report.
"The act of forgery strikes at the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to play for a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.
The Association's Reply and Challenge Strategy
The international body's report states that the Malaysian association admitted it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to independently verify the validity of the papers."
"Initial documentation indicated a stark difference to the submitted papers," it said.
FIFA also said it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.
FAM responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."
"Allegations that players 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided to date," the statement declared.
The governing body will present an official appeal of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.
Regional Context and Political Responses
South-east Asian countries have lately engaged in recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the Indonesian diaspora.
The country's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "the football association must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations made by FIFA."
"Supporters are upset, hurt and disappointed," she added.
Present Situation and Upcoming Games
Regardless of uncertainty regarding the squad's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, facing Laos on the upcoming Thursday.
