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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's ruling to sanction the organization for supposedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for one year.

FIFA's Claims and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a fine of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but rather in the South American nation, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain. The global football governing body reiterated its assertions about falsified documentation in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

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

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a country's squad, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's report states that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the papers."

"Initial documentation indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it noted.

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

FAM reacted to the global body's report in a statement on Tuesday, maintaining the discrepancies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Claims that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been presented to date," the announcement said.

The governing body will submit an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using original documents that have been certified by the Malaysian government.

Regional Context and Political Responses

Southeast Asian nations have lately pursued hiring campaigns for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a release that "the football association needs to complete the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations from the global authority."

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

Current Situation and Upcoming Matches

Despite doubt surrounding the squad's composition, Malaysia is now ranked 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to play in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing the Laotian team on Thursday.