Facundo Garces, one of the seven naturalized players who falsified documents, played in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the second round of Group F of the final Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on 10/6/2025. Photo: Malaysia NT

The FIFA disciplinary committee (FDC) has imposed severe sanctions on Malaysian football, including 0-3 losses in three matches and substantial fines, following an investigation into seven naturalized players who falsified registration documents. The FDC determined that "the use of falsified or invalid civil registry documents in the registration files of seven players severely violated the principles of international football."

The players involved are: Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Gabriel Palmero, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. As a consequence of these violations, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (over 11 billion VND). Additionally, each of the seven players received a 12-month ban from playing and an extra fine of 2,000 francs (65 million VND).

This marks the heaviest disciplinary sanction Malaysian football has ever faced, a significant blow given the national team's considerable reliance on its naturalized players. FAM initially appealed the decision to the FIFA appeal committee, but the sanctions were upheld. The association subsequently filed another appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 8/12 and is scheduled to submit a detailed statement of arguments to the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 18/12.

CAS is widely regarded as the final avenue for federations disputing with FIFA. The court's decision can either uphold, reduce, or overturn sanctions. However, instances of CAS reversing FIFA's rulings are rare, as the world football governing body typically presents detailed arguments and comprehensive evidence for its cases.

By Hieu Luong