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

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In September, FIFA levied a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the players after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body restated its claims about doctored documentation in a official investigation report published on Monday.

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

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

The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery constitutes, plain and simple, a type of cheating," stated FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery strikes at the heart of the basic tenets of football, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to play for a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the concept of sportsmanship," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's document states that the Malaysian association conceded it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said.

The organization also mentioned it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM responded to the global body'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."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the announcement said.

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

Regional Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, 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 must finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

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

Current Situation and Forthcoming Games

Despite doubt regarding the squad's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, facing Laos on the upcoming Thursday.