PETALING JAYA: The FIFA appeal committee has upheld all sanctions issued against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players involved in the use of falsified documents for national-team eligibility, calling the offences a fundamental threat to the integrity of international football.
In their motivated decision released on Tuesday (Nov 18) morning, the committee said attempts to forge documents to deceive governing bodies "strike at the very foundation of football’s integrity" and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
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They stressed that eligibility rules are essential to maintaining fairness, credibility and global trust in the sport.
The committee confirmed that there were no grounds to overturn the earlier decision of the FIFA disciplinary committee issued on Sept 25.
All appeals filed by the players and FAM were dismissed in full, and each appellant must bear their share of 8,000 Swiss francs (RM41,693) in proceeding costs.
Beyond upholding the sanctions - which include a 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8mil) fine imposed on FAM - the committee said the evidence provided "compelling reasons" to open further inquiries under the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
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They instructed the FIFA secretariat to begin a formal investigation into FAM’s internal operations to identify those responsible for the falsified documents and assess the association’s governance and compliance structures.
The investigation will specifically examine the role of FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman and two licensed FIFA agents named in the proceedings, Nicolás Puppo and Frederico Moraes.
A separate inquiry will also be launched into the fielding of ineligible players during three friendly matches cited in the case.
Given the criminal nature of document forgery, the committee has directed the secretariat to notify the relevant authorities in Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia so that potential criminal proceedings may be pursued.
