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THE Malaysian Football League (MFL) has announced that three Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) players currently under a 12-month suspension by FIFA are prohibited from featuring in any Malaysian league fixtures while their bans remain in effect.
In a statement released Monday, the MFL said the decision followed formal notification from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), after the world governing body issued disciplinary sanctions on Friday.
“Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel are not permitted to participate in any Malaysian League competitions during the suspension period,” said the MFL. “Further action on the matter will be determined only after FIFA delivers its decision on FAM’s appeal.”
All three players received year-long bans and individual fines of 2,000 Swiss francs each over the alleged falsification of documents used to claim eligibility as heritage players.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee imposed similar penalties on four other players—Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca—who had all featured in Malaysia’s national team during the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Vietnam in June.
The FAM was also fined approximately RM1.8 million, and admitted there were “technical errors” in the submitted paperwork. The national governing body said it is awaiting FIFA’s full written judgement before filing an appeal.
In response, affected clubs have expressed willingness to comply with the decision while awaiting further developments. - September 29, 2025
