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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to penalize the organization for allegedly forging the nationality papers of multiple foreign-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the country for one year.

FIFA's Claims and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA imposed a fine of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the players after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and Spain. The international football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this summer – was also fined $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes born in Spain Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its report.

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to represent a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the concept of fair play," added a senior official, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Response and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to independently verify the authenticity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates indicated a sharp contrast to the documentation provided," it noted.

The organization also said it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM responded to FIFA's report in a official communication on Tuesday, asserting the discrepancies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that the athletes 'acquired or were aware of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been provided so far," the statement declared.

The governing body will present an formal challenge of FIFA's decision, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Context and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian nations have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, said in a statement that "the football association must complete the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to every disclosure made by the global authority."

"Fans are upset, hurt and disappointed," she remarked.

Present Status and Upcoming Games

Despite uncertainty surrounding the national team's composition, Malaysia is now ranked one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, meeting the Laotian team on Thursday.