KUALA LUMPUR — FIFA has rejected the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal against its punishment for alleged forgery and falsification in the registration of seven naturalised players, upholding both the 12-month suspensions and hefty fines initially imposed.
In a statement released today, FIFA’s Appeal Committee confirmed that it had dismissed appeals from both FAM and the seven players — Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano — following a detailed hearing.
FAM was fined CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.85 million), while each player faces a fine of CHF2,000 and a one-year suspension from all football-related activities.
The world governing body cited breaches of Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which pertains to forgery and falsification in player registration.
This ruling reaffirms the earlier verdict handed down in September — a case that has cast a shadow over FAM’s broader naturalisation policy, prompting intense scrutiny from both local and international observers.
The naturalised players, who were brought in as part of Malaysia’s bid to strengthen the national squad, have been barred from competition since the disciplinary action was first announced.
Reacting to the decision, FAM acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said the association was “surprised and disappointed” by the outcome.
“FAM has received FIFA’s appeal decision, in which our appeal has been rejected,” he said in a statement.
“We will be writing to FIFA to obtain the full written grounds before taking further steps to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This is the first time FAM has faced such a situation, and both our legal and management teams are shocked by the outcome.”
Yusoff added that FAM would “continue to firmly defend the rights of the players and the interests of Malaysian football at the international level.”
The controversy first came to light when reports surfaced alleging irregularities in the registration documents of several foreign-born players naturalised under Malaysia’s citizenship programme.
While FAM has consistently denied wrongdoing, FIFA’s disciplinary ruling marked a severe blow to its credibility and governance practices. — November 3, 2025
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