All seven – Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel – played in an Asian Cup qualifying match on Jun 10 against Vietnam, with two of them scoring in the 4-0 win.
Shortly after, what appeared to be a new high point in Malaysian football began to turn dark following a complaint to FIFA that officially questioned the eligibility of the seven players to represent Malaysia, according to regional football executives.
Sources told CNA that the complaint came from a Southeast Asia country.
The bombshell came on Sep 26 when FIFA declared that an investigation had found that FAM had “used doctored documentation to be able to field” the seven foreign players.
Apart from the fine on the FAM, the seven players have been slapped with a 12-month ban from football, triggering a national scandal in Malaysia.
FAM’S NEXT MOVES
FAM, which received the full grounds of FIFA’s decision this week, said it will lodge an appeal in the coming days against the decision by the world football body, which it claimed was “inaccurate and unfounded”.
According to senior executives involved in the AFC, FIFA’s affiliate that is also the regional governing body for the sport, FAM’s appeal will go before the world body’s appeals tribunal.
The tribunal typically does not overturn decisions made by FIFA, and should Malaysia remain unsatisfied, the FAM can file an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), an international independent tribunal represented by lawyers and retired judges that acts as the final arbiter for football disputes.
Regional sporting officials noted that going before the CAS could be a risky gambit.
“In 2024, the CAS upheld 89.5 per cent of FIFA’s decision in cases that came before the tribunal, and the problem is that Malaysia will only then be aware of the full extent of the material and proof that went behind the original decision,” said sports commentator Raj.
He added that the prospect of sanctions being enhanced cannot be ruled out.
Malaysia’s troubles are not expected to end even after any appeals process with the FIFA tribunal and CAS that could stretch to late December.
There could still be action against Malaysia from the AFC, which has stated that it will only begin its own probes into the matter of fielding ineligible foreign players after the disciplinary process with FIFA is completed.
Should an investigation by AFC, which runs the Asian Cup, confirms Malaysia’s guilt, the country could be disqualified from participating in the 2027 Asian Cup.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/fifa-malaysia-football-scandal-politics-anwar-5391806
