Malaysia Rejects FIFA Accusations of Forged Player Nationality Documents, Will Challenge Sanctions
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the organization for allegedly forging the nationality papers of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the country for one year.
The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties
In September, FIFA levied a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and banned the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and Spain. The global football authority reiterated its claims about falsified papers in a official investigation report published on Monday.
Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.
The implicated group includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.
FIFA's Stance on Forgery
"Document falsification represents, 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 regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the concept of fair play," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.
FAM's Response and Appeal Plan
FIFA's document claims that FAM admitted it "was contacted by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the documentation."
"The original birth certificates indicated a stark difference to the documentation provided," it noted.
FIFA also mentioned it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.
FAM reacted to FIFA's allegations in a statement on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."
"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were aware of fake documents' are baseless as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the announcement said.
The governing body will present an formal challenge of FIFA's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the national authorities.
Southeast Asian Background and Official Reactions
Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in hiring campaigns for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the Indonesian diaspora.
The country's sports minister, the official, said in a release that "FAM needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations from FIFA."
"Supporters are angry, disappointed and let down," she remarked.
Present Situation and Upcoming Matches
Regardless of doubt surrounding the national team's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, facing Laos on Thursday.
