The Fifa Appeal Committee has dismissed the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal against sanctions imposed on the national body and seven players over ‘doctored documentation’.
In a media release shared by FAM tonight, Fifa confirmed that the national body must pay a fine of CHF 350,000. The seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – will continue to serve a 12-month ban from all football activities and have each been fined CHF 2,000.
“FAM and the players have been notified of the terms of the decision today. They have 10 days to request a motivated decision, and following this notification, the parties have 21 days to file a possible appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” the statement said.
Responding to Fifa’s decision, FAM said it would write to the world body to obtain the full details and written reasons for the ruling before taking the next steps to appeal to the CAS.
“This is the first time FAM is facing such a situation, and our lawyers and management are very surprised by the decision,” said acting FAM president Datuk Wira Yusoff Mahadi in a statement tonight.
“Nevertheless, FAM will remain firm in fighting for the rights of the players and the interests of Malaysian football at the international level,” he added.
Fifa earlier revealed that its investigation found none of the seven footballers registered as Malaysian players had any direct links to the country.
In elaborating on its Sept 25 decision, which imposed heavy sanctions on FAM and the seven ‘heritage’ players, Fifa presented the original birth certificates of the players’ grandparents, tracing their origins to Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
Fifa also noted that the statement from the director-general of the National Registration Department (NRD) of Malaysia, filed by FAM, was of particular significance. The NRD confirmed that Malaysian authorities had never received the original birth certificates.
On June 10, the seven footballers featured in Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 qualifiers. The following day, Fifa received a complaint regarding the eligibility of five of the players.
According to Fifa, the complainant alleged that “certain foreign-born players are ineligible to represent the Malaysian national football team […] their arrival in Malaysia and their commencement of playing for local clubs occurred relatively recently […] their naturalisation process and international debut took place within a questionable timeframe, raising significant questions about the validity of this process”.
Despite numerous queries, FAM has yet to identify those responsible for introducing the players to the national team. An independent investigation committee, chaired by former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif will complete its probe and prepare a report pertaining the fiasco within six weeks.
