Malaysia rejects Fifa accusations it forged players' citizenship and says it will appeal sanctions

"Fifa fined FAM $438,000 this September and suspended the players after it discovered their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as FAM had claimed, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain. The global football body reiterated its claims about falsified or doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee report released on Monday. Fifa's grandfather rule allows overseas-born players to represent countries that their biological parents or grandparents were born in, aiming to prevent national football teams from importing foreign players to boost performance."

"Each of the players who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June was also fined $2,500. In its report Fifa said that forgery constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating. The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of football, not only those governing a player's eligibility to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of fair play, said Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of Fifa's disciplinary committee."

"The accused group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas 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 born in Brazil."

FAM will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction it for allegedly falsifying citizenship documents of seven overseas-born players who received one-year suspensions. FIFA fined FAM $438,000 and suspended the players after determining their grandparents were born in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain, not Malaysia as claimed. Each player who featured in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier was also fined $2,500. FIFA's report labels forgery as cheating that undermines football's integrity and fair play. FIFA said FAM admitted being contacted by external agencies and failing to independently verify documentation, with original birth certificates contrasting with provided documents.

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