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

FIFA's Allegations and Fines

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the players after discovering that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but rather in Argentina, Brazil, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football governing body restated its assertions about doctored papers in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, born in Argentina 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 hails from the South American country.

The Governing Body's Stance on Forgery

"Forgery represents, plain and simple, a type of cheating," stated FIFA in its findings.

"The act of forgery strikes at the very core of the basic tenets of football, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," added Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's report claims that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to independently verify the authenticity of the papers."

"Initial documentation indicated a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it said.

FIFA also said it was "able to obtain the relevant original documents without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

The Football Association of Malaysia responded to the global body's allegations in a statement on the following day, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "administrative error" and the players are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Allegations that players 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been provided so far," the statement declared.

The association will submit an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using authentic papers that have been certified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Background and Official Responses

Southeast Asian countries have recently pursued recruitment drives for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's sports minister, the official, stated in a statement that "the football association must finish the challenge procedure and that they should not stay quiet but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by the global authority."

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

Present Status and Upcoming Games

Despite doubt surrounding the squad'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 this month, facing Laos on Thursday.