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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will contest FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for supposedly falsifying the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the country for 12 months.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and banned the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The global football authority restated its claims about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

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

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

FIFA's Stance on Forgery

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

"Forging documents undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of fair play," commented a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's document claims that FAM admitted it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates indicated a stark difference to the submitted papers," it said.

FIFA also said it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no concrete proof has been presented so far," the announcement said.

The association will present an official appeal of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions

South-east Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of recruiting born in the Netherlands footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a statement that "FAM must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations made by FIFA."

"Supporters are angry, hurt and let down," she added.

Current Situation and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of doubt surrounding the squad's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, facing the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.