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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will contest FIFA's ruling to sanction the body for supposedly falsifying the nationality papers of seven overseas-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the national team for one year.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and suspended the players after discovering that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The international football governing body reiterated its assertions about falsified documentation in a official investigation report released on the start of the week.

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 June – was also penalized $2,500.

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

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

"Document falsification represents, plain and simple, a type of cheating," said FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the basic tenets of football, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to play for a national team, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of sportsmanship," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Response and Challenge Strategy

The international body's document claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation showed a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it noted.

The organization also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the authentic papers without hindrance," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's report in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the discrepancies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that the athletes 'acquired or were aware of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no concrete proof has been presented so far," the announcement said.

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

Regional Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian nations have lately engaged in hiring campaigns for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands footballers from the overseas community.

The country's minister for sports, the official, stated in a release that "the football association needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but must respond clearly to every disclosure from FIFA."

"Supporters are angry, disappointed and disappointed," she remarked.

Present Status and Upcoming Games

Despite uncertainty regarding the squad's lineup, Malaysia is now ranked 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, facing Laos on Thursday.