FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Document Forgery for Player Eligibility

FIFA has accused Malaysia of falsifying citizenship documents for seven foreign-born players to enable them to play for the national football team.

Football's world governing body fined and suspended the players in late September and released a report justifying its actions on Monday.

FIFA claims the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) forged birth certificates to suggest the players' grandparents were born in Malaysia, characterizing such actions as “pure and simple a form of cheating.”

However, FAM contends that the discrepancies were due to an 'administrative error,' maintaining that the players are 'legitimate Malaysian citizens' and plan to appeal FIFA's penalties.

According to FIFA's guidelines, the 'grandfather rule' allows foreign-born footballers to represent nations where their biological parents or grandparents were born. This rule aims to deter national teams from simply importing foreign talent to enhance performance.

The controversy began after Malaysia's 4-0 victory against Vietnam in June, during which questions about the players' eligibility arose. Subsequently, in September, FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended the seven players for a year and imposed a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs ($2,500; £1,870), though they initially refrained from disclosing the reasons for the suspensions, specifying only 'doctored documentation.'

FIFA also mandated that FAM pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs ($440,000; £330,000).

In recent years, several Southeast Asian nations have initiated campaigns to recruit naturalized athletes, following Indonesia's model of integrating Dutch-born players from its diaspora.

Earlier this year, FAM presented FIFA with birth certificates asserting the players' grandparents were born in Malaysia, citing locations such as Penang and Malacca. However, FIFA's investigation reportedly uncovered original birth certificates revealing the grandparents were born in countries like Argentina and Spain, aligning with the players' actual birthplaces.

The suspended players include Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui from Spain, as well as Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, Netherlands-born Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano, and Brazilian-born Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo.

Malaysia's Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated that FIFA's findings have tarnished the country's reputation. She indicated the ministry would wait for the results of FAM's appeal before issuing any formal statements.

I understand local football fans are understandably upset and disappointed and wish to see improvements, she expressed in a press conference reported by government news agency Bernama.

This week, Malaysia is scheduled to face Laos in another Asian Cup qualifier, albeit with a significantly altered team due to the sanctions imposed on these players.