ZURICH (AP) — FIFA on Monday rejected an appeal by the Malaysian Football Federation and seven banned foreign-born players. fake documents Claim eligibility for the country’s national team.
The ruling was expected, but it clears the way for Malaysian authorities to take the case to the sport’s highest court.
FIFA announced that its appellate body had upheld a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately $433,000) against the federation and a one-year ban from soccer for seven players. The players were from Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands and Spain, but were naturalized in an apparent violation of FIFA rules and played in Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match, which they beat Vietnam 4-0 in June.
FIFA said the Malaysian federation has one month to decide whether to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This is the latest example of false registration in international football, often involving Brazilian players.
Federation officials claimed that all seven players’ grandparents were born in Malaysia and that they were eligible to represent the country under FIFA regulations. but, FIFA said: Company investigators discovered the contrasting information after “we were able to obtain relevant original documents” from the players’ countries of origin.
The Malaysian federation said it had suspended secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman and was conducting its own investigation.
The embarrassment for the Malaysian Football Federation comes while former president Hamidin bin Haji Mohd Amin is a member of the 37-member FIFA council.
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