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

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In September, FIFA imposed a fine of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the players after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The global football governing body reiterated its claims about falsified documentation in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

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

"Forging documents strikes at the very core of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Reply and Challenge Strategy

FIFA's document claims that FAM conceded it "was contacted by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the papers."

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

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

FAM reacted to FIFA's report in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the statement declared.

The governing body will present an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using authentic papers that have been certified by the national authorities.

Southeast Asian Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, stated in a release that "the football association must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations from FIFA."

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

Current Status and Upcoming Matches

Regardless of uncertainty surrounding the national team's lineup, Malaysia is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, facing Laos on Thursday.