FIFA have handed out seven suspensions to players who allegedly illegally gained citizenship through the use of falsified documents. An investigation was conducted and found that the individuals in question had family members from Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands.
Malaysia are set to face Laos home and away in the third round of AFC Asian Cup qualification this week. Peter Cklamovski’s men travel to New Laos National Stadium on Thursday (October 9) before playing hosts at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Thursday (October 14).
Harimau Malaya sit top of their qualifying group but will be without seven players who have all previously represented the nation. Not only have these individuals received lengthy bans, but the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has also been fined a significant sum of money.
Seven Malaysia Players Banned
Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel are set to serve 12-month bans. The seven players have also been hit with fines of 2,000 Swiss francs after allegedly gaining Malaysian citizenship through false documents.
The FAM will also have to pay 350,000 Swiss francs and, as a result, intends to appeal FIFA’s sanctions. It is claimed that the organisation forged birth certificates so that each player’s grandparents were born in Malaysia.
FIFA’s stance was that this “constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating”, while the governing body’s findings state:
“Presenting fraudulent documentation with the purpose of gaining eligibility to play for a national team constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating, which cannot in any way be condoned… Such conduct erodes trust in the fairness of competitions and jeopardises the very essence of football as an activity founded on honesty and transparency.”
The FAM have responded to the allegations of cheating by claiming the inaccurate documentation were a result of an “administrative error”. They also insisted that each player was a “legitimate Malaysian citizen.” The country’s sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, has told BBC Sport that the investigation has negatively tarnished the nation’s image:
“Although FAM has issued a statement saying it was a technical error, a mistake by their staff, all of that needs improvement because the 19-page statement contains very serious remarks by FIFA, which tarnish the country’s image.”
Who Do Malaysia’s Banned Players Play For At Club Level?
Two of the seven players facing 12 months out of action play in Spain. Facundo Garces (above left), currently a centre-back at La Liga side Alaves, and Gabriel Palmero, who is on loan at Unionistas de Salamanca from CD Tenerife, are among them. Rodrigo Holgado is a forward at Colombian outfit America de Cali and Imanol Machuca had been playing in Argentina.
Joao Figueiredo, Hector Hevel and Jon Irazabal were all teammates at Malaysian Super League leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim. Malaysia’s manager Cklamovski will be without those players, but so too will their clubs, given the outcome of the investigation.
The investigation took place in June after Malaysia defeated Vietnam 4-0 which was one of four wins in their last six games. Their most recent outing was a 1-0 win against Palestine on September 8.