Malaysia Rejects FIFA Accusations of Forged Player Nationality Papers, Will Challenge Punishments

The Malaysian Football Association (Malaysia's football governing body) has declared it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the body for supposedly forging the citizenship documents of seven overseas-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 September, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but instead in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The international football authority restated its assertions about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report released on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

The implicated individuals includes born in Spain Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

The Governing Body's Position on Document Falsification

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, 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 concept of sportsmanship," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Response and Appeal Plan

FIFA's report claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

FAM responded to FIFA's allegations in a statement on Tuesday, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "administrative error" and the players are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Allegations that players 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the announcement declared.

The governing body will present an official appeal of the international body's decision, using original documents that have been verified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Political Reactions

South-east Asian nations have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM must finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to every disclosure made by FIFA."

"Supporters are upset, disappointed and disappointed," she added.

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Despite uncertainty regarding the national team's lineup, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, meeting the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.