Malaysian Football League to decide on players’ domestic status only after Asian Football Confederation’s disciplinary committee issues its decision.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Football League (MFL) will not pre-empt any decision regarding the seven national squad players sanctioned in a document forgery case.
MFL president Datuk Ab Ghani Hassan said any further action will only be considered after an official decision is obtained from the Asian Football Confederation’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee.
“At the Malaysia League level, MFL will issue a statement on the status of the players involved after AFC makes its announcement,” he told reporters.
The league had previously announced that four of the seven players are not allowed to compete in the Malaysia League during their 12-month suspension from official matches imposed by FIFA.
The four players are Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, and Kuching City FC’s Gabriel Palmero.
The other three players involved are Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces and Rodrigo Holgado.
AFC had earlier said the matter would be referred to its Disciplinary and Ethics Committee for further consideration.
Last week, the Court of Arbitration for Sport partially allowed the appeal by the seven players against the FIFA sanctions over falsified naturalisation and eligibility documents.
In an operative decision, CAS ruled that the seven players remain suspended for 12 months, but the ban now applies only to official matches and not all football-related activities.
CAS also upheld the fine of CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million) imposed on the Football Association of Malaysia, describing the punishment as appropriate.
The issue first came to light in September last year after FIFA found that forged documents were used to support the eligibility of seven foreign-born players who represented Malaysia.