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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's ruling to sanction the body for supposedly falsifying the citizenship documents of seven overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for one year.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football authority reiterated its claims about doctored documentation in a official investigation report released on Monday.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 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 individuals includes born in Spain Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

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

"Forging documents undermines the heart of the fundamental principles 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 fair game and the principle of sportsmanship," added a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document states that FAM admitted it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates showed a stark difference to the submitted papers," it said.

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

FAM reacted to FIFA's report in a statement on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

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

The association will submit an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using authentic papers that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Regional Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian nations have lately pursued hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of recruiting Dutch-born players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's minister for sports, the official, said in a release that "FAM needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to every disclosure from the global authority."

"Supporters are angry, disappointed and disappointed," she added.

Present Situation and Upcoming Matches

Regardless of uncertainty surrounding the national team's lineup, Malaysia is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, meeting Laos on the upcoming Thursday.