Malaysia may sue 7 naturalized players over alleged forged documents

By Hoang An November 30, 2025 | 06:09 pm PT

Johor Darul Ta'zim starting lineup in the 4-0 win over Real Murcia in a friendly ahead of the 2025-2026 season. Arif Aiman (bottom row, C) is the only native Malaysian player, while Hector Hevel (bottom row, 2nd from L), Natxo Insa (bottom row, 2nd from R) and Jon Irazabal (top row, R) are players of Malaysian descent. Photo courtesy of JDT

Malaysia's football association may take seven naturalized players to court as a forged-documents scandal rocks the national team, with a prominent lawyer saying the group could face legal action for falsely claiming Malaysian heritage on their citizenship paperwork.

Lawyer Nik Erman Nik Roseli told Sukan Sinar that the players had declared Malaysian ancestry to qualify for passports, but FIFA documents show they did not meet eligibility requirements.

The players admitted they handed the entire process to their agents and staff inside the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), a decision that has now placed them at the center of an alleged document-forgery scheme.

Nik Erman said falsified records may have originated from people within FAM, but insisted the players still bear responsibility.

"The players didn’t read, didn’t understand, and didn’t even care about their naturalization files," he said. "Even after learning they had been banned for 12 months, they remained indifferent. They cannot simply shift all the responsibility onto others."

He added that while the players are considering suing FAM for damages, with some having already had their club contracts terminated, they would be unlikely to win. Instead, he argued, it is FAM that has grounds to sue the seven players for claiming Malaysian heritage they did not possess.

According to Stadium Astro, the seven suspended players are planning to formally file a complaint and demand compensation for financial damages if FAM fails in its appeal against FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The players, who received heavy penalties including fines and a 12-month ban from football activities, will demand compensation equivalent to at least one year's salary, according to the report.

President of the Sports Law Association of Malaysia (SLAM), Balbeer Singh, affirmed that the compensation claim will be "completely fair."

Nik Erman also said both FAM and the players could file legal action against the unnamed intermediary who allegedly handled every step of the citizenship process.

"That is the real mastermind," he emphasized.

The seven players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Iraurgui and Hector Hevel.

FAM is now preparing its appeal to CAS in hopes of reducing or overturning the sanctions, though the association has not yet confirmed whether the filing has been submitted.