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

FIFA's Claims and Penalties

In September, FIFA imposed a penalty of $438,000 on FAM and suspended the footballers after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as claimed, but rather in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the European country and the Iberian nation. The global football authority restated its claims about doctored documentation in a official investigation report released on Monday.

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

The implicated group includes Spanish-born Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Argentinian-born Holgado and Imanol Javier Machuca, as well as Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano who was born in the Netherlands, and Figueiredo who was born the South American country.

FIFA's Position on Forgery

"Forgery represents, plain and simple, a form of dishonesty," said FIFA in its report.

"Forging documents strikes at the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those regulating a player’s eligibility to play for a country's squad, but also the essential values of a clean sport and the concept of sportsmanship," commented a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

The Association's Reply and Appeal Plan

FIFA's document claims that the Malaysian association conceded it "received inquiries by external agencies regarding the athletes' ancestry and did not attempt to personally confirm the authenticity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation showed a stark difference to the documentation provided," it noted.

FIFA also mentioned it was "managed to acquire the relevant original documents easily," which highlighted a "lack of proper diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM responded to the global body's report in a statement on Tuesday, maintaining the inconsistencies were the outcome of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Claims that players 'acquired or were aware of fake documents' are baseless as no solid evidence has been provided so far," the statement declared.

The association will present an formal challenge of the international body's decision, using authentic papers that have been certified by the national authorities.

Southeast Asian Background and Political Responses

Southeast Asian nations have recently pursued hiring campaigns for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in Dutch-born players from the overseas community.

Malaysia's minister for sports, Hannah Yeoh, stated in a statement that "the football association needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations made by the global authority."

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

Current Situation and Upcoming Matches

Regardless of doubt surrounding the squad's lineup, the team is now placed 123rd in FIFA's AFC ranking and is scheduled to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing Laos on Thursday.