FAM to appeal Fifa fine, suspensions over heritage players

Summary

• FAM will appeal against fines and suspensions meted out by Fifa against seven heritage players.

• FAM says it remains committed to acting decisively, adhering to international regulations, and upholding the integrity of Malaysian football.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will be appealing against fines and suspensions meted out against it as well as seven heritage players by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) over "doctored documentation".

FAM acting president Yusoff Mahadi assured that it will also exhaust all available legal avenues and procedures to ensure that the interests of the players and the Malaysian national team are safeguarded.

"FAM remains committed to acting decisively, adhering to international regulations, and upholding the integrity of Malaysian football.

"We will also continue to work closely with the Malaysian government and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the process is conducted transparently, fairly, and in the true spirit of sportsmanship," Yusoff said in a statement today.

In a statement last night, Fifa revealed that it had imposed sanctions against FAM and seven players for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code (FDC) on forgery and falsification.

"FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to Fifa, and in doing so, it used doctored documentation to be able to field the above players," the global football body's disciplinary committee detailed.

The players involved - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano - were also hit with a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, effective immediately.

The seven players represented Malaysia against Vietnam for the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 qualifiers on June 10.

Complaint lodged

Following the match, Fifa said it received a complaint regarding the eligibility of five of the players.

After an evaluation of evidence on file, Fifa determined that FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players was also slapped with a 2,000 Swiss francs fine.

Fifa added that the issue of the players' eligibility to play under the Harimau Malaya banner has been referred to the Fifa Football Tribunal for its consideration.

"In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they (FAM) have 10 days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com.

"The decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the Fifa Appeal Committee," Fifa said.

The move also comes despite Fifa previously assuring all parties that FAM did not breach any regulations in its heritage players' recruitment process and that all procedures were conducted in full compliance with eligibility rules.

Acted in good faith

Responding to Fifa's reasoning behind the sanctions, FAM emphasised today that both it and the players involved had acted in good faith and with full transparency throughout related processes.

"FAM has managed all related documentation and procedures transparently, in line with prescribed guidelines.

"In fact, Fifa had previously reviewed the eligibility of the players in question and provided official confirmation that they were eligible to represent Malaysia," Yusoff highlighted.

Following doubts from certain quarters on the eligibility of Malaysia's heritage players, FAM's then-president Joehari Ayob reportedly said on June 30 that their recruitment processes were carried out in line with proper procedures and in full compliance with Fifa regulations.

“... there were no discrepancies in any of the documentation (and) Fifa was kept fully informed throughout (the process)," Joehari told a press conference then.

The five heritage players investigated by Fifa played a crucial role in Malaysia's defeat of arch-rivals Vietnam 4–0 in the qualifiers at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on June 10.

COMMENT | When public funds vanish into shadows of sports

SATIRE | Why develop local talent when you can hire from the Amazon?

Harimau Malaya's draw against Cape Verde boosts team confidence - Yeoh

Harimau Malaya's allocation for development raised to RM30m - PM

RM15m allocation to FAM not for salary payment - Yeoh

Harimau Malaya to get RM15m boost, says PM

COMMENT | Rewarding mediocre footballers ultimate insult to sports fans

COMMENT | Citizenship goals for footballers as stateless struggle