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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction the body for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the national team for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and banned the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The international football authority restated its claims about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated group includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

"Forgery represents, pure and simple, a type of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the concept of sportsmanship," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Response and Appeal Plan

FIFA's report claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to independently verify the authenticity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation showed a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it noted.

FIFA also mentioned it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the discrepancies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are baseless as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the statement declared.

The association will present an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using authentic papers that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Context and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian nations have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM needs to finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

"Fans are upset, hurt and let down," she added.

Current Situation and Upcoming Games

Regardless of doubt regarding the squad's composition, Malaysia is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.