The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has filed an appeal against FIFA's decision to suspend seven national team players for alleged eligibility irregularities. The players, who were part of Malaysia's squad for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam, were found to have submitted falsified documents claiming Malaysian ancestry ¹.
*Background of the Scandal*
The scandal revolves around seven foreign-born players who were accused of using forged birth certificates to claim Malaysian citizenship. FIFA's investigation revealed discrepancies in the documents submitted by FAM, indicating that the players' grandparents were not born in Malaysia, as claimed. The players include ² ³:
- *Gabriel Palmero* (Spain-born)
- *Facundo Garces* (Argentina-born)
- *Rodrigo Holgado* (Argentina-born)
- *Imanol Machuca* (Argentina-born)
- *Joao Figueiredo* (Brazil-born)
- *Jon Irazabal* (Spain-born)
- *Hector Hevel* (Netherlands-born)
*FIFA's Decision and FAM's Appeal*
FIFA imposed a one-year suspension on the players and fined FAM $440,000 for submitting forged documents. FAM has denied knowingly wrongdoing, attributing the issue to a "technical error." The association is preparing to substantiate its appeal using verified documents from the Malaysian government ¹ ⁴.
*Implications of the Suspension*
The suspension of the seven players has significant implications for Malaysia's national team, particularly in their upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers. The team's coach, Peter Cklamovski, will face a challenging task in reshaping the squad ².
