PETALING JAYA: FIFA have rejected the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) appeal over the suspension of their seven mixed heritage players.
"After analysing the submissions and conducting a hearing, the FIFA Appeal Committee decided to dismiss the appeal and to confirm in its entirety the following sanctions imposed upon FAM and the seven players," said the committee on Monday (Nov 3), led by chairman Nick Eggleston.
FAM have been ordered to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8mil) to FIFA.
The players – Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal and Hector Hevel – were also fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,400) each.
The players have also been suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.
FAM and the players have been notified of the terms of the decision and have 10 days to request a motivated decision.
The parties involved also have 21 days to make a possible appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Meanwhile, FAM confirmed that their appeal had been dismissed.
In a statement on Monday, FAM said they would now write to FIFA to obtain the full details and written grounds of the decision before deciding on their next step, which could include an appeal to CAS.
"This is the first time FAM have faced a situation like this, and both our legal team and management were very surprised by the outcome," said acting FAM president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi.
"Nevertheless, FAM remain steadfast in defending the rights of our players and the interests of Malaysian football at the international level."
FAM reiterated their commitment to following due legal process as they continue to review FIFA's decision and consider further action.
