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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the organization for supposedly falsifying the nationality papers of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the country for one year.

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain. The international football authority restated its assertions about falsified documentation in a disciplinary committee report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, pure and simple, a form of dishonesty," said FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the basic tenets of football, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the principle of fair play," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's report claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

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

The organization also said it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that players 'obtained or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no concrete proof has been provided so far," the statement declared.

The governing body will present an official appeal of FIFA's ruling, using authentic papers that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Official Responses

Southeast Asian nations have lately engaged in recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a statement that "FAM needs to complete the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations from the global authority."

"Supporters are angry, disappointed and disappointed," she remarked.

Current Status and Upcoming Matches

Regardless of uncertainty regarding the national team's composition, Malaysia is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, facing Laos on Thursday.