The Malaysian Football Association Denies FIFA Accusations of Falsified Player Nationality Documents, Vows to Appeal Punishments
The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will appeal FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for allegedly falsifying the citizenship documents of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for 12 months.
The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties
In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the footballers after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but rather in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body reiterated its claims about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report published on the start of the week.
Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.
The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born 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 Position on Forgery
"Document falsification represents, pure and simple, a form of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its report.
"Forging documents undermines the very core of the basic tenets of football, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a country's squad, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.
FAM's Response and Challenge Strategy
The international body's report states that FAM admitted it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the papers."
"The original birth certificates indicated a stark difference to the documentation provided," it said.
FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers without hindrance," which highlighted a "lack of proper 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 inconsistencies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."
"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were aware 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 the international body's decision, using authentic papers that have been verified by the Malaysian government.
Southeast Asian Background and Political Responses
South-east Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands footballers from the overseas community.
The country's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "FAM must complete the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations from the global authority."
"Fans are upset, hurt and let down," she added.
Current Situation and Upcoming Games
Despite uncertainty regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing Laos on the upcoming Thursday.
