FIFA has suspended seven Malaysia national team players for 12 months and fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) 350,000 Swiss francs ($440,000) after ruling that forged documents were used to field ineligible players during a 4-0 Asia Cup qualifier win over Vietnam in June.
The players — Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano — were each fined 2,000 Swiss francs and banned from all football-related activities for a year.
FIFA said its disciplinary committee acted after receiving a complaint about the players’ eligibility, uncovering falsified paperwork submitted by FAM to clear them for the match.
The Malaysian FA vowed to appeal the decision, insisting both the federation and the players had acted “in good faith and with full transparency.”
FAM also claimed that FIFA had previously reviewed and confirmed the players’ eligibility before the June fixture.
Malaysia currently sit top of their 2027 Asia Cup qualifying group with six points from two matches, but face potential further sanctions as the case develops.
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