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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will contest 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 country for 12 months.

FIFA's Claims and Fines

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the footballers after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but instead in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The international football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

"Forgery represents, pure and simple, a form of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of sportsmanship," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that the Malaysian association admitted it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation showed a stark difference to the submitted papers," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers easily," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been presented to date," the statement declared.

The governing body will submit an formal challenge of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been certified by the Malaysian government.

Regional Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian nations have lately engaged in recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the overseas community.

The country's sports minister, the official, stated in a statement that "the football association needs to finish the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

"Fans are upset, hurt and disappointed," she added.

Current Situation and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of uncertainty regarding the squad's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, meeting the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.