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

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and banned the players after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The international football governing body restated its assertions about falsified papers in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

Each of the players – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was born in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from Brazil.

FIFA's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery constitutes, plain and simple, a type of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to play for a country's squad, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Response and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and failed to independently verify the validity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it said.

FIFA also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

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

"Claims that players 'acquired or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been presented to date," the statement said.

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

Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions

South-east Asian countries have recently pursued hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's minister for sports, the official, said in a statement that "FAM must complete the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations from the global authority."

"Supporters are angry, hurt and disappointed," she added.

Present Situation and Upcoming Matches

Regardless of uncertainty surrounding the squad's lineup, the team is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.