PETALING JAYA: National winger Arif Aiman Hanapi dedicated Malaysia’s 3-0 victory over Laos to the seven mixed-heritage players currently suspended by FIFA, describing them as 'citizens of Malaysia.'
On Thursday, Arif was one of the three goal scores for Harimau Malaya in the Group F encounter in their AFC Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifier.
He netted in the 52nd minute while the other goals came through captain Dion Cools in the 68th minute and Faisal Halim deep into stoppage time (95th minute)
"Congratulations to all the players who played today. And not forgetting the seven players who have been sanctioned, they remain our teammates and citizens of Malaysia. We pray for them," said Arif after the match in Vientiane.
The 23-year-old also took a moment to express gratitude to the Johor Regent, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, for his unwavering support of the national team.
"I would like to thank the fans and let’s not forget, the biggest fan of Malaysian football, the Crown Prince of Johor," said the winger.
The win came just days after FIFA’s disciplinary committee ruled that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had submitted forged documents to register seven mixed-heritage players.
They are Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, and Joao Figueiredo.
FIFA’s investigation uncovered major discrepancies between the original birth certificates obtained by the governing body and those submitted by FAM to justify the players’ eligibility to represent Malaysia.
FIFA found both FAM and the players guilty of breaching Article 22 of the FIFA disciplinary code, which pertains to the falsification and use of forged documents in official proceedings.
As a result, FAM were fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8mil), while each player received a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs (RM11,000) and a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
