The Malaysian Football Association Rejects FIFA Allegations of Falsified Player Nationality Documents, Vows to Challenge Sanctions
The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's ruling to penalize the body for supposedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for one year.
The Global Football Body's Allegations and Penalties
In September, FIFA levied a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the players after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football authority reiterated its claims about doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee 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 June – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.
The accused group includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.
The Governing Body's Stance on Document Falsification
"Document falsification represents, plain and simple, a type of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.
"Forging documents undermines the very core of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to represent a national team, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.
The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy
The international body's document claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the papers."
"The original birth certificates indicated a stark difference to the documentation provided," it said.
The organization also said it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.
FAM reacted to FIFA's report in a statement on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."
"Allegations that players 'acquired or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the statement said.
The governing body will present an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using authentic papers that have been verified by the Malaysian government.
Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions
South-east Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of recruiting Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.
Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a release that "FAM must complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to all revelations from FIFA."
"Supporters are upset, hurt and let down," she remarked.
Present Situation and Forthcoming Matches
Despite uncertainty regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now placed 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, meeting Laos on Thursday.
