Kuala lumpur: The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has determined that several players associated with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) utilized forged documents to bypass regulations, enabling their eligibility to represent Harimau Malaya.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, investigatory reports by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee revealed discrepancies between the evidence on players provided by FAM and the documents filed in proceedings FPSD-18683, FPSD-19517, FPSD-19518, FPSD-19519, FPSD-19520, FPSD-19521, and FPSD-18682. The committee’s investigations resulted in two reports, identifying issues with the documentation submitted.
FIFA’s Secretariat obtained original birth certificates for the players’ grandparents, indicating origins from various countries including Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands. However, FAM’s filings inaccurately listed these origins as locations within Malaysia, such as Malacca, Penang, and Johor.
Today, FAM acknowledged receipt of FIFA’s full written judgment regarding the suspension of seven heritage players accused of violating the disciplinary code. FAM has announced plans to formally appeal, asserting that all supporting evidence is ready for submission.
FAM expressed disagreement with FIFA’s conclusions, particularly the claims of document falsification or intentional circumvention of eligibility rules. Last month, FAM and the players faced sanctions for breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code related to document falsification.
FIFA accused FAM of submitting falsified documents to verify the players’ eligibility, which allowed their participation in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10. The players affected include Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.
FAM has been fined CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), with each player facing a CHF2,000 fine (approximately RM10,560) and a 12-month suspension from football-related activities, effective immediately.