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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to sanction the organization for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of multiple overseas-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Fines

In September, FIFA imposed a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and banned the footballers after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but rather in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body restated its assertions about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report released on Monday.

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

The implicated group includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

The Governing Body's Stance on Document Falsification

"Forgery constitutes, plain and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery 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 core ethics of a fair game and the concept of sportsmanship," commented a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Response and Appeal Plan

FIFA's document claims that FAM admitted it "was contacted by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to independently verify the validity of the documentation."

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

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

FAM reacted to the global body's report in a official communication on the following day, asserting the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the announcement declared.

The governing body will present an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using authentic papers that have been certified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Context and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have recently engaged in hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's sports minister, the official, said in a release that "FAM needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to all revelations made by the global authority."

"Fans are angry, disappointed and let down," she added.

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Regardless of doubt regarding the squad's composition, the team is now ranked 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, meeting the Laotian team on Thursday.