KUALA LUMPUR – Football authority Fifa on Oct 6 released its grounds for
the suspension of seven foreign-born Malaysian footballers
, exposing significant discrepancies in the documents submitted by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
In a letter – addressed to FAM and the seven naturalised players – seen by The Straits Times, Fifa said it found that the grandparents of the players had been born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands, and not in Malaysia.
This revelation further complicates Malaysia’s aim to qualify for the Asian Cup ahead of their away match with Laos on Oct 9, with the seven players not to be named in the squad due to the suspension.
FAM has in response said that it would continue to appeal against the punishment.
It said the depiction presented in Fifa’s decision was inaccurate, and an official appeal is being prepared.
The association also stressed that the heritage players are legitimate Malaysian citizens.
“The committee wished to highlight that it concurred with the conclusion of the investigatory reports, specifically, that the original birth certificates indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided,” said Jorge Palacio, deputy chairman of the Fifa disciplinary committee, in the decision attached with the letter.
The seven players are: Spain-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces and Jon Irazabal; Netherlands-born Hector Hevel; Argentina-born Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca; and Brazil-born Joao Figueiredo.
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