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

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In September, FIFA levied a fine of $438,000 on FAM and banned the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but rather in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The global football authority reiterated its assertions about falsified papers in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Stance on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of football, 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," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Reply and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document states that the Malaysian association admitted it "was contacted by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the papers."

"Initial documentation showed a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it said.

The organization also mentioned it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents easily," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's allegations in a statement on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the statement declared.

The association will present an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Official Reactions

South-east Asian countries have lately engaged in recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's minister for sports, the official, stated in a statement that "FAM must complete the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to every disclosure from FIFA."

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

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Regardless of uncertainty regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now ranked 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.