The Malaysian Football Association Rejects FIFA Accusations of Falsified Player Nationality Papers, Vows to Challenge Sanctions
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the body for supposedly forging the nationality papers of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the country for 12 months.
The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines
In September, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football authority reiterated its claims about doctored papers in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.
Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also penalized $2,500.
The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina 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 Brazil.
The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery
"Document falsification constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its report.
"The act of forgery undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of football, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.
The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy
FIFA's document claims 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 submitted papers," it noted.
FIFA also mentioned it was "able to obtain the authentic papers easily," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.
The Football Association of Malaysia responded to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."
"Allegations that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been presented to date," the statement said.
The association will submit an formal challenge of FIFA's decision, using original documents that have been verified by the national authorities.
Regional Context and Political Responses
South-east Asian nations have lately pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after the Indonesian approach of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.
Malaysia's minister for sports, the official, said in a release that "FAM must finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to every disclosure made by the global authority."
"Supporters are upset, hurt and let down," she added.
Current Status and Forthcoming Matches
Despite doubt surrounding the national team's composition, the team is now ranked 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.
