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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to penalize the organization for supposedly falsifying the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the country for 12 months.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the players after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body restated its assertions about doctored documentation in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

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

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

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

"The act of forgery undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of sportsmanship," added Jorge Palacio, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to independently verify the authenticity of the papers."

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

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on the following day, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the players are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

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

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

Regional Context and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "the football association must finish the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but must respond clearly to all revelations from FIFA."

"Fans are upset, hurt and disappointed," she remarked.

Current Status and Upcoming Matches

Despite doubt surrounding the squad's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, facing Laos on the upcoming Thursday.