Malaysia to appeal FIFA sanctions over forged player documents

The Football Association of Malaysia said on Tuesday it will formally appeal FIFA sanctions after the sport's governing body ruled that Malaysia used falsified documents to register seven overseas born players and issued fines and suspensions. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee released its decision on October 6, saying original civil records from Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands contradicted the documentation Malaysia submitted to prove the players had Malaysian grandparents and were therefore eligible under heritage rules.

FIFA found the association and the seven players guilty of violating Article 22 of the Disciplinary Code, which concerns forgery and the use of falsified documents in official proceedings. The committee ordered 12 month bans from all football related activities for each player, levied individual fines of 2,000 Swiss francs and imposed a federation fine of 438,000 Swiss francs. The players named in the ruling include Gabriel Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, who all featured in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in a June 2027 Asian Cup qualifier.

"Presenting fraudulent documentation...