KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) says it is \u201cdeeply shocked\u201d after FIFA rejected its appeal over sanctions linked to forged ancestry documents that allowed seven foreign-born players to represent Malaysia\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n
The case stems from a September ruling in which FIFA found FAM guilty of falsifying documents claiming the players\u2019 grandparents were born in Penang or Malacca. Official records revealed they were actually from Argentina, Spain, Brazil, and the Netherlands. FIFA described the offence as a \u201cpure and simple form of cheating.\u201d<\/p>\n
FIFA\u2019s Appeal Committee dismissed FAM\u2019s bid to overturn the decision, confirming penalties that include a 350,000 Swiss franc (US$432,000) fine for FAM and 12-month bans plus 2,000-franc fines for each player.<\/p>\n
Acting FAM president Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said the association would request FIFA\u2019s full written reasoning before deciding whether to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. \u201cOur lawyers and management are deeply shocked by the outcome,\u201d he said, adding that FAM would \u201ccontinue to defend the players\u2019 rights\u201d and Malaysia\u2019s football interests internationally.<\/p>\n
FAM insists the errors were unintentional, blaming a \u201ctechnical mistake\u201d by an administrative officer. The federation has since suspended its secretary general and appointed an independent committee to investigate.<\/p>\n
The seven suspended players \u2014 Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano \u2014 had featured in Malaysia\u2019s Asian Cup qualifying campaign earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The controversy has embarrassed Malaysia as it seeks to improve its global football standing. The Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tigers) currently rank 118th in the latest FIFA standings.<\/p>\n
The recruitment drive for \u201cheritage players\u201d was reportedly led by Johor\u2019s Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, a key figure in Malaysian football through his Johor Darul Ta\u2019zim (JDT) club. He defended the players\u2019 citizenship, calling them \u201clegitimate Malaysians\u201d and warning critics not to \u201cundermine [the country\u2019s] sovereignty and diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, public reaction has been harsh. Many fans accused FAM of mismanagement and using the players as scapegoats.<\/p>\n
One fan wrote on social media: \u201cFIFA has shown proof. FAM hasn\u2019t shown us anything. Taking it to CAS just looks like another delay tactic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) says it is \u201cdeeply shocked\u201d after FIFA rejected its appeal over sanctions linked to forged ancestry documents that allowed seven foreign-born players to represent Malaysia\u2019s national team. The case stems from a September ruling in which FIFA found FAM guilty of falsifying documents claiming the players\u2019 grandparents …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,1],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-50338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-asia","category-sports-games","tag-headline"],"yoast_head":"\n