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The Football Association of Malaysia (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will appeal FIFA's ruling to penalize the body for allegedly forging the nationality papers of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for one year.

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In September, FIFA levied a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but instead in the South American nation, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain. The global football governing body reiterated its assertions about doctored 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 twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

FIFA's Stance on Document Falsification

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

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the concept of fair play," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's report states that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to independently verify the validity of the papers."

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

FIFA also said it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

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

"Claims that the athletes 'obtained or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided so far," the statement declared.

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

Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM must finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to all revelations from FIFA."

"Supporters are upset, hurt and let down," she remarked.

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Regardless of uncertainty surrounding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.