FIFA has dismissed the appeals filed by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven heritage players over alleged document forgery, confirming the sanctions previously handed down by its Disciplinary Committee.
According to FIFA, after reviewing all submissions and holding a hearing, the Appeals Committee “decided to dismiss the appeals, and to confirm in its entirety the sanctions imposed upon FAM and the seven players.”
The controversy centers on seven foreign born players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal, and Hector Hevel whose eligibility to play for Malaysia was questioned after FIFA found evidence of falsified documents regarding their Malaysian lineage.
FIFA imposed a fine of CHF 350 000 on FAM, while each of the seven players received fines of CHF 2 000 and were suspended from all football related activities for 12 months.
Reacting to the ruling, FAM described the decision as “surprising and disappointing” and said it would request FIFA’s full written explanation before deciding on further action, including the possibility of taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).