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The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's decision to sanction the body for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been banned from representing the national team for one year.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a fine of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the players after discovering that their grandparents were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and Spain. The international football governing body restated its assertions about doctored papers in a disciplinary committee report released on Monday.

Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this summer – was also penalized $2,500.

The implicated individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Netherlands, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

FIFA's Stance on Document Falsification

"Forgery constitutes, pure and simple, a form of dishonesty," said FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the core ethics of a clean sport and the concept of fair play," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's report claims that FAM admitted it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

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

The organization also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, maintaining the inconsistencies were the result of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that players 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are unfounded as no solid evidence has been presented so far," the announcement said.

The association will present an formal challenge of the international body's ruling, using authentic papers that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Regional Background and Official Responses

South-east Asian nations have recently pursued hiring campaigns for naturalised players, modelled after the Indonesian approach of recruiting Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "FAM needs to complete the challenge procedure and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by FIFA."

"Fans are angry, hurt and let down," she added.

Present Situation and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of uncertainty regarding the squad's composition, the team is now ranked 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing the Laotian team on the upcoming Thursday.