KUALA LUMPUR – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially upheld an appeal by seven footballers sanctioned over falsified documents in an eligibility case linked to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), ruling that their 12-month suspension will apply only to official matches.
In a statement issued from Lausanne today, CAS confirmed that although the players must still serve the one-year ban, they will be allowed to train and participate in other football-related activities with their respective clubs.
“The panel partially upheld the appeals filed by the players and amended the sanction imposed by FIFA so that the suspension applies only to official matches,” CAS said.
The seven players involved are Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
However, CAS dismissed a separate appeal filed by FAM, meaning the national governing body must still pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million).
“The appeal filed by the Football Association of Malaysia has been dismissed and the fine imposed by FIFA remains in force,” the statement added.
The case dates back to 2025, when FAM approached the seven foreign players regarding the possibility of obtaining Malaysian citizenship and representing the national team.
The players subsequently went through a naturalisation process and were issued Malaysian passports.
On Sept 25 last year, FIFA’s disciplinary committee ruled that both FAM and the players had breached the FIFA Disciplinary Code by using falsified documents during the naturalisation and eligibility process, noting that the players did not have a genuine connection to Malaysia.
The decision was later upheld by FIFA’s appeal committee on Nov 3.
Each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM10,094) and handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, while FAM was ordered to pay the 350,000 Swiss francs penalty.
FAM and the seven players filed consolidated appeals with CAS on Dec 5.
In its submission, FAM acknowledged what it described as “institutional shortcomings” and accepted that it could bear responsibility for breaches of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
The association asked for the earlier decision to be set aside and sought a reduction of the fine to no more than 50,000 Swiss francs (about RM252,365).
The players, meanwhile, argued that their role had been limited to providing documents requested by FAM and that they neither prepared nor altered any of the paperwork.
They requested that the sanctions be annulled or, alternatively, reduced.
Following a hearing at CAS headquarters in Lausanne on Feb 26, a three-member panel chaired by Danish arbitrator Lars Hilliger ruled that the offence had been established.“The panel confirmed that the violation of the FIFA Disciplinary Code had been proven,” CAS said.
The revised suspension takes effect from March 5, 2026. CAS also stated that the players would receive credit for the period between Sept 25, 2025, and Jan 26, 2026, when the suspension had already effectively been served.
“The period during which the players were provisionally suspended will be taken into account when calculating the remaining duration of the sanction,” CAS said.
CAS further ruled that the 350,000 Swiss francs fine imposed on FAM was “justified and proportionate”.
The decision released today is an operative ruling, with the full written award and detailed legal reasoning to be issued at a later date. - March 5, 2026
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