🔗 Share this article Malaysia Denies FIFA Accusations of Falsified Player Citizenship Documents, Vows to Appeal Punishments The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the body for supposedly falsifying the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for one year. FIFA's Allegations and Penalties In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and suspended the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain. The international football governing body restated its assertions about falsified documentation in a disciplinary committee report published on Monday. Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined $2,500. The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country. The Governing Body's Stance on Document Falsification "Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its report. "Forging documents strikes at the very core of the basic tenets of football, not only those governing 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," commented Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel. The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy FIFA's report claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the documentation." "Initial documentation indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said. FIFA also mentioned it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body. The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's allegations in a statement on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia." "Claims that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided so far," the announcement declared. The association will present an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities. Southeast Asian Context and Political Reactions South-east Asian nations have recently pursued recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community. Malaysia's minister for sports, the official, stated in a statement that "the football association must finish the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to every disclosure from FIFA." "Fans are angry, hurt and disappointed," she remarked. Current Situation and Forthcoming Games Despite doubt surrounding the squad's composition, Malaysia is now ranked 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, facing Laos on the upcoming Thursday.