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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's decision to penalize the organization for allegedly forging the citizenship documents of seven foreign-born players, who have now been banned from playing for the country for one year.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on the Malaysian association and suspended the players after finding that their grandparents were not born in Malaysia as claimed, but instead in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and the Iberian nation. The international football governing body restated its claims about doctored documentation in a disciplinary committee report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all took part in Malaysia's 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also penalized $2,500.

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

The Governing Body's Position on Forgery

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a type of dishonesty," stated FIFA in its findings.

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to represent a country's squad, but also the essential values of a fair game and the principle of fair play," commented Jorge Palacio, deputy chairperson of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that FAM conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to independently verify the validity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates showed a stark difference to the documentation provided," it said.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

The Football Association of Malaysia reacted to FIFA's report in a official communication on Tuesday, maintaining the discrepancies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

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

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

Southeast Asian Background and Political Responses

Southeast Asian nations have recently pursued hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, modelled after the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the Indonesian diaspora.

The country's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, said in a release that "the football association needs to complete 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 angry, disappointed and let down," she added.

Present Status and Forthcoming Games

Regardless of doubt regarding the national team's lineup, Malaysia is now placed 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is set to compete in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup in the coming weeks, meeting the Laotian team on Thursday.