The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has confirmed that three heritage players from Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) have been barred from featuring in the Malaysia League.

This follows sanctions imposed by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven heritage players, including suspensions.

The three JDT players - striker Joao Figueiredo, defender Jon Irazabal and midfielder Hector Hevel - will be barred from the league throughout the suspension period.

“MFL today confirms that it has received official notification from FAM regarding the decision by Fifa to suspend seven heritage players for 12 months.

“MFL will take further action in this case only once Fifa announces a decision on FAM’s appeal,” MFL said in a statement today.

Document scandal

On Friday, the Fifa Disciplinary Committee sanctioned FAM and the seven players for violating Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, related to document falsification.

In a statement, Fifa said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to feature in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.

The four other players sanctioned are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca.

As a result, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8 million), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities, effective from the date of notification of the decision.

Yesterday, FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman admitted that a technical error had been identified in the process of submitting documents by the governing body’s administrative staff.

Azman said FAM takes the matter seriously and stressed that the players involved are legitimate Malaysian citizens.

He said FAM is awaiting Fifa’s full judgment before filing an appeal in accordance with the legal processes.

- Bernama

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