KUALA LUMPUR: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has cleared seven suspended Malaysia internationals to resume playing following a successful application for a stay of execution, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has confirmed.
The ruling temporarily halts a 12-month ban imposed by Fifa on the Harimau Malaya players, who were implicated in a high-profile doctored documentation saga.
In a statement released early this morning, FAM confirmed that the suspension from all football-related activities has been lifted pending a final verdict.
"This decision means the players are permitted to continue their careers and participate in all footballing activities until the CAS appeal process is concluded," the governing body stated.
The seven players at the heart of the controversy are Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Héctor Hevel.
The case stems from sanctions issued by Fifa last September. World football’s governing body found FAM and the players guilty of submitting forged documents to facilitate their eligibility for the Malaysian national team. FAM was fined CHF 350,000 while the players each received 12-month bans and individual fines of CHF 2,000.
Last month, FAM lodged a formal police report after its own independent investigation committee failed to pinpoint the masterminds behind the forgery.
Police have since identified two suspects believed to be responsible for the fraudulent submissions to the world body.
