FIFA rejects Malaysia's appeal, upholds sanctions against 7 naturalized players

Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Gabriel Palmero (from left), are among seven Malaysian players sanctioned by FIFA, after the 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia on June 10, 2025. Photo by Malaysia NT

The appeal result was announced at 9 p.m., Hanoi time, on Nov. 3, three days later than the intended time for announcement.

"The FIFA appeal committee has rendered its decision... after analyzing all submissions and conducting a hearing, the committee decided to dismiss the appeals and confirm the sanctions in full," FIFA said in a statement.

The sanctions began when serious errors were found between birth certificates submitted by FAM and the originals collected by FIFA, which reportedly showed the players' grandparents were not born in Malaysia.

As a result, FAM was fined of 350,000 Swiss francs (US$432,700). The seven players involved, including Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Hector Hevel and Joao Figueireido, were each fined 2,000 Swiss francs. They are banned from all football activities for 12 months, effective from Sept. 26.

The ruling upholds all measures first announced by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee (FDC) on Sept. 26 for falsifying and misrepresentation of documents. According to the FDC, FAM was given one month, from Aug. 22 to Sept. 22, to provide an explanation for the incident, but failed to do so, leading to the current penalty. FAM lodged its official appeal on Oct. 14.

The decision is a significant blow to Malaysian football but may not be the final verdict. FAM has 10 days to request a detailed report from the FAC, after which it has 21 days to submit a final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The average processing time for a CAS case is about 5.7 months during the 2019-2024 period.

While Malaysia are still allowed to play the upcoming matches of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, they could face 0-3 forfeit defeats for fielding ineligible players in matches against Nepal and Vietnam.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Asian Cup organizer, will make the final decision on match results after FAM has finished all legal steps. AFC secretary general Windsor John Paul stated the process will not last beyond March 31, 2026, when it announces the list of teams qualified for the 2027 Asian Cup.