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The Football Association of Malaysia (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will contest FIFA's decision to sanction the body for allegedly falsifying the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from representing the country for 12 months.

FIFA's Claims and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but instead in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The international football governing body reiterated its claims about falsified papers in a disciplinary committee report published on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil win over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.

The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery represents, pure and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to play for a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of sportsmanship," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Response and Appeal Plan

FIFA's report claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation showed a stark difference to the documentation provided," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers without hindrance," which highlighted a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

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

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

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

Southeast Asian Context and Official Reactions

South-east Asian nations have recently pursued recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's minister for sports, the official, said in a release that "FAM must complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to all revelations made by the global authority."

"Fans are upset, disappointed and disappointed," she added.

Present Status and Upcoming Matches

Despite uncertainty surrounding the national team's lineup, Malaysia is now placed one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, facing the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.