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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will appeal FIFA's ruling to sanction the organization for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for 12 months.

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but rather in the South American nation, Brazil, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The international football authority reiterated its claims about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report published on the start of the week.

Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also penalized $2,500.

The accused individuals includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Stance on Document Falsification

"Document falsification represents, pure and simple, a type of cheating," said FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the principle of fair play," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates showed a stark difference to the submitted papers," it noted.

FIFA also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

FAM responded to the global body's report in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

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

The association will submit an official appeal of FIFA's ruling, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Political Reactions

South-east Asian nations have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community.

The country's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "FAM needs to complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations from the global authority."

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

Present Status and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of doubt regarding the squad's composition, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, meeting Laos on Thursday.