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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for supposedly forging the nationality papers of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the country for one year.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the players after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain. The international football governing body restated its claims about falsified papers in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also penalized $2,500.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

FIFA's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery represents, plain and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the concept of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Response and Challenge Strategy

FIFA's report states that the Malaysian association admitted it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the papers."

"Initial documentation showed a stark difference to the submitted papers," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.

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

"Allegations that players 'acquired or were aware of fake documents' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the announcement said.

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

Southeast Asian Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently pursued hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, modelled after the Indonesian approach of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "FAM needs to finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by FIFA."

"Fans are angry, hurt and disappointed," she added.

Current Situation and Upcoming Games

Regardless of doubt surrounding the national team's lineup, Malaysia is now ranked 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, facing the Laotian team on Thursday.