PETALING JAYA: FIFA’s official decision on Monday has thrown Malaysian football into turmoil.
The world governing body have presented evidence that forged documents were used in Malaysia’s process of registering their mixed-heritage players, casting serious doubt over the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
In a disciplinary document signed by FIFA Disciplinary Committee deputy chairperson Jorge Palacio, the committee flagged major discrepancies between the original birth certificates obtained by FIFA and those submitted by FAM to prove the players’ Malaysian heritage.
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“The committee wish to highlight that the original birth certificate indicates a sharp contrast to the documentation provided,” Palacio stated.
The seven players – Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, and Joao Figueiredo – were found to have violated Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which covers the falsification and use of forged documents.
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The investigation found that the players’ ancestral claims were based on individuals who, contrary to the documents submitted, were not born in Malaysia.
As a result, FAM were fined 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately RM1.8mil), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM11,000) and will not be allowed to be involved in any football-related activities for a year.
The ruling also cited a key statement from the National Registration Department (NRD), confirming that original birth certificates were never submitted as part of the players’ heritage claims.
“The NRD confirmed that the Malaysian authorities never received the original birth certificates,” the report states.
“Instead, the NRD issued its own copies based on secondary information and foreign documents from Argentina, Brazil, and Spain.”
This, the committee found, suggests that Malaysia’s verification process may not have relied on primary-source documents, raising questions about the thoroughness of FAM’s due diligence.
In their defence, FAM argued that they had followed all proper channels, stating that:
– The players’ applications were submitted to the Malaysian government, with full documentation.
– The NRD opened official files and conducted all required verifications.
– The players’ ancestral links to Malaysia were authenticated in line with the Malaysian Constitution.
FAM insist they acted in good faith throughout the process and were unaware that any of the documents involved could be falsified.
“Neither FAM nor the players were ever aware that any documents submitted might have been falsified,” the ruling quotes FAM as saying. “We did not prepare any of the documents now alleged to be false. The conduct of FAM and the players was correct and devoid of any intent or fault.”
