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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction the organization for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the national team for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The international football authority restated its claims about doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee report released on the start of the week.

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

The accused group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

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

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Response and Appeal Plan

FIFA's report states that the Malaysian association admitted it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to personally confirm the validity of the documentation."

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

The organization also mentioned it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been presented to date," the statement said.

The governing body will present an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Official Reactions

South-east Asian nations have recently engaged in hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, modelled after the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community.

Malaysia's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a release that "FAM must finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by the global authority."

"Fans are upset, disappointed and let down," she remarked.

Current Status and Forthcoming Matches

Despite uncertainty regarding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.