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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's ruling to sanction the body for supposedly forging the citizenship documents of seven overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Penalties

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the players after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The international football governing body restated its assertions about doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee report released on the start of the week.

Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also penalized $2,500.

The accused group includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

"Forgery represents, pure and simple, a type of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of football, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the principle of sportsmanship," added Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document states that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to personally confirm the validity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates showed a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said.

The organization also mentioned it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to the global body's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the announcement said.

The governing body will submit an formal challenge of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Regional Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have lately engaged in hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, modelled after the Indonesian approach of recruiting born in the Netherlands players from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a statement that "FAM must complete the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations from the global authority."

"Fans are angry, disappointed and let down," she added.

Present Status and Upcoming Matches

Regardless of doubt regarding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, facing Laos on Thursday.