The Malaysian Football Association Rejects FIFA Allegations of Falsified Player Citizenship Papers, Vows to Challenge Punishments
The Malaysian Football Association (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to sanction the body for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for one year.
The Global Football Body's Claims and Fines
In September, FIFA imposed a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football governing body reiterated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.
Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also fined $2,500.
The accused group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.
FIFA's Position on Forgery
"Forgery represents, plain and simple, a type of dishonesty," said FIFA in its findings.
"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.
The Association's Response and Appeal Plan
The international body's document states that FAM conceded it "was contacted by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to personally confirm the validity of the papers."
"The original birth certificates indicated a stark difference to the submitted papers," it noted.
The organization also said it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.
The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."
"Claims that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided so far," the statement said.
The governing body will present an official appeal of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been certified by the Malaysian government.
Southeast Asian Context and Official Reactions
Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.
The country's sports minister, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM needs to complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to all revelations from FIFA."
"Supporters are upset, hurt and disappointed," she added.
Current Status and Forthcoming Matches
Regardless of doubt regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, meeting the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.
