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The Football Association of Malaysia (Malaysia's football governing body) has announced it will contest FIFA's ruling to penalize the body for allegedly falsifying the nationality papers of seven overseas-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the national team for one year.

The Global Football Body's Claims and Penalties

In September, FIFA levied a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and banned the players after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in the South American nation, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football governing body reiterated its claims about falsified papers in a official investigation report published on the start of the week.

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

The accused individuals includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Rodrigo Julian 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 the South American country.

The Governing Body's Position on Document Falsification

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

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the basic tenets of football, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the principle of fair play," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

FAM's Reply and Challenge Strategy

The international body's report states that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the athletes' ancestry and failed to personally confirm the validity of the documentation."

"The original birth certificates showed a stark difference to the submitted papers," it noted.

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

FAM responded to FIFA's allegations in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "administrative error" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

"Allegations that the athletes 'acquired or were knowledgeable of fraudulent papers' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided to date," the announcement said.

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 Political Responses

Southeast Asian nations have lately engaged in hiring campaigns for naturalised players, modelled after Indonesia's strategy of recruiting born in the Netherlands footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

Malaysia's minister for sports, the official, said in a release that "FAM must finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations from the global authority."

"Supporters are angry, disappointed and disappointed," she added.

Current Status and Upcoming Games

Despite uncertainty regarding the national team's lineup, the team is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to play in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing Laos on Thursday.