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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the body for supposedly forging the nationality papers of seven overseas-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the country for one year.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the footballers after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The global football authority restated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on Monday.

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 fined twenty-five hundred dollars.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

FIFA's Position on Document Falsification

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

"The act of forgery undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to play for a country's squad, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of sportsmanship," commented Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's document claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the validity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates showed a stark difference to the documentation provided," it noted.

The organization also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to FIFA's report in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the discrepancies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

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

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

Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions

South-east Asian nations have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of recruiting born in the Netherlands players from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a release that "FAM must complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to all revelations made by FIFA."

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

Current Situation and Forthcoming Matches

Despite uncertainty regarding the squad's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, meeting Laos on Thursday.