FIFA Hits Malaysia Football Federation and Seven Players with Sanctions Over Forged Documents
FIFA has imposed severe sanctions on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven naturalized players after the use of forged documents during player registration. The controversy arose following Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, when concerns about the eligibility of several foreign-born players were raised. An investigation confirmed that the documents submitted by FAM were falsified to allow seven players to participate in the match.
The seven players involved were Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano, with five specifically cited in the initial complaint. FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found violations of Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, citing document forgery and misconduct.
As a result, FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately 7.3 billion rupiah), while each of the seven players faces a 2,000 CHF fine (around 42 million rupiah) and a one-year global ban from all football activities under FIFA’s jurisdiction. FIFA has also referred the issue of player eligibility to the FIFA Football Tribunal for further review.
The sanctioned parties have ten days to request a motivated decision and may appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee according to regulations. The case highlights the growing trend in Southeast Asia to naturalize diaspora players, following successes like Indonesia’s PSSI program and Vietnam’s integration of players such as Nguyen Xuan Son and Rafaelson, serving as a cautionary example for other nations pursuing similar strategies.
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