Fifa reveals fake birth claims, but FAM will appeal

In a letter - addressed to the FAM and the seven naturalised players - seen by The Straits Times, Fifa said it found that the grandparents of the players had been born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands, and not in Malaysia.

- Muzliza Mustafa Malaysia Correspondent

This revelation further complicates Malaysia’s aim to qualify for the Asian Cup ahead of their away match with Laos on Oct 9, with the seven players not named in the squad due to the suspension.

The FAM has in response said that it would continue to appeal against the punishment.

It said the depiction presented in Fifa’s decision was inaccurate, and an official appeal is being prepared.

The association also stressed that the heritage players are legitimate Malaysian citizens.

“The committee wished to highlight that it concurred with the conclusion of the investigatory reports, specifically, that the original birth certificates indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided,” said Jorge Palacio, deputy chairman of the Fifa disciplinary committee, in the decision attached with the letter.

The seven players are: Spain-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces and Jon Irazabal; Netherlands-born Hector Hevel; Argentina-born Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca; and Brazil-born Joao Figueiredo.

Fifa had on Sept 26 fined the FAM 350,000 Swiss francs (S$567,000), while each of the seven players was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and banned from all football-related activities for 12 months.

Complaints were lodged against Malaysia for allegedly using “doctored documentation” to select the seven players in the squad for the Asian Cup qualifier with Vietnam on June 10, which they won 4-0.