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The Football Association of Malaysia (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the body for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the national team for 12 months.

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the players after discovering that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as stated, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and Spain. The global football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also penalized $2,500.

The accused group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Stance on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to play for a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," commented a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy

FIFA's report claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to independently verify the authenticity of the papers."

"Initial documentation indicated a stark difference to the documentation provided," it said.

FIFA also said it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents easily," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM responded to FIFA's report in a statement on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that players 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided so far," the announcement said.

The governing body will submit an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Context and Official Reactions

South-east Asian nations have lately pursued hiring campaigns for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of recruiting born in the Netherlands players from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, said in a statement that "FAM must complete the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations made by FIFA."

"Fans are angry, disappointed and let down," she remarked.

Current Situation and Forthcoming Games

Despite uncertainty regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, facing the Laotian team on Thursday.