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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction the body for supposedly falsifying the citizenship documents of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for 12 months.

FIFA's Allegations and Fines

In September, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the footballers after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The international football authority reiterated its claims about doctored documentation in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

The implicated group includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

The Governing Body's Stance on Document Falsification

"Forgery constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's document claims that FAM admitted it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm 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 relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Claims that the athletes 'acquired or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no concrete proof has been presented to date," the statement declared.

The association will present an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Context and Official Responses

South-east Asian nations have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after the Indonesian approach of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "the football association must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

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

Current Status and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of uncertainty surrounding the national team's lineup, the team is now ranked 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, facing the Laotian team on Thursday.