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The Malaysian Football Association (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to sanction the organization for supposedly forging the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for one year.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In September, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and suspended the footballers after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The global football governing body restated its assertions about falsified documentation in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's four-nil victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.

The implicated individuals includes born in Spain Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was born Brazil.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of dishonesty," said FIFA in its report.

"The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of football, not only those governing a athlete's qualification to represent a national team, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the principle of fair play," added a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Response and Appeal Plan

The international body's report states that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation indicated a stark difference to the documentation provided," it said.

The organization also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers easily," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's report in a statement on Tuesday, asserting the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided so far," the statement declared.

The association will present an official appeal of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been certified by the national authorities.

Regional Background and Political Responses

South-east Asian nations have lately pursued recruitment drives for foreign-born athletes, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in born in the Netherlands footballers from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a release that "the football association must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to every disclosure from the global authority."

"Supporters are upset, disappointed and let down," she added.

Present Situation and Forthcoming Games

Despite doubt regarding the national team's composition, Malaysia is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers in the coming weeks, facing the Laotian team on Thursday.