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The Football Association of Malaysia (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will appeal FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for allegedly falsifying the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for one year.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Fines

In September, FIFA imposed a fine of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and suspended the players after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but instead in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football authority restated its claims about falsified papers in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Stance on Document Falsification

"Forgery represents, pure and simple, a type of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its report.

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of football, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," commented Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Response and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that the Malaysian association admitted it "was contacted by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates indicated a stark difference to the documentation provided," it noted.

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

FAM responded to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Claims that players 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the statement said.

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

Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions

South-east Asian nations have lately pursued hiring campaigns for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the overseas community.

The country's sports minister, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM needs to complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by the global authority."

"Fans are angry, hurt and disappointed," she added.

Current Situation and Forthcoming Matches

Despite doubt regarding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, facing the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.