The Malaysian Football Association Rejects FIFA Accusations of Forged Player Citizenship Documents, Will Challenge Sanctions
The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's decision to penalize the body for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for 12 months.
The Global Football Body's Claims and Fines
In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the players after finding that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee report released on Monday.
Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also fined $2,500.
The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.
The Governing Body's Position on Document Falsification
"Document falsification represents, plain and simple, a type of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.
"Forging documents undermines the heart 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.
FAM's Response and Appeal Plan
The international body's document claims that FAM admitted it "was contacted by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."
"The original birth certificates showed a stark difference to the submitted papers," it noted.
FIFA also said it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents easily," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.
FAM responded to FIFA's allegations in a statement on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."
"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been presented so far," the announcement said.
The association will present an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using authentic papers that have been certified by the Malaysian government.
Regional Background and Official Reactions
South-east Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the overseas community.
Malaysia's sports minister, the official, said in a statement that "FAM must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to every disclosure made by the global authority."
"Supporters are angry, disappointed and let down," she added.
Present Situation and Forthcoming Games
Regardless of doubt regarding the national team's composition, Malaysia is now ranked 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.
