PETALING JAYA: FIFA have rejected the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal over sanctions on them and 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, 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 – have each been fined 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,400).
The players have also been suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities. FAM and the players were notified of the terms of the decision yesterday.
They have 10 days to request a full written judgment and once that is received, they have 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Meanwhile, FAM have confirmed that their appeal to FIFA has been dismissed.
In a statement released yesterday, FAM said they will 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 the 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.
