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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has announced it will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction the body for allegedly falsifying the nationality papers of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the country for 12 months.

FIFA's Allegations and Fines

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and suspended the footballers after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The international football governing body reiterated its claims about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report published on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also penalized $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born 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 hails from the South American country.

FIFA's Position on Document Falsification

"Document falsification constitutes, pure and simple, a form of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery strikes at the heart of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of fair play," commented a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Response and Challenge Strategy

The international body's report states that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates showed a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it noted.

FIFA also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's report in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the inconsistencies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided to date," the statement said.

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

Regional Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, stated in a release that "the football association must finish the appeal process and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

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

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Regardless of doubt regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting the Laotian team on Thursday.