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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to sanction the organization for allegedly falsifying the nationality papers of seven overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In September, FIFA levied a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the players after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The international football authority restated its assertions about falsified papers in a disciplinary committee report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

FIFA's Position on Document Falsification

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

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the fundamental principles of football, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to represent a national team, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that FAM admitted it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the papers."

"Initial documentation indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said.

The organization also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

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

"Allegations that players 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided to date," the statement said.

The association will present an formal challenge of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in hiring campaigns for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "the football association must complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by the global authority."

"Supporters are angry, disappointed and disappointed," she remarked.

Current Status and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of doubt regarding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.