FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Faking Foreign Players Records
Malaysia’s football body is under fire after FIFA accused it of forging documents to sneak seven foreign-born players into the national team. The global football authority has slammed the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for what it called “a form of cheating,” while Malaysian officials say it was all just a clerical mix-up.
What happened?
In a detailed report released on Monday, FIFA claimed FAM submitted fake birth certificates to make it seem like the players’ grandparents were born in Malaysia — a requirement under the so-called “grandfather rule,” which allows players to represent a country if a parent or grandparent was born there.
But FIFA’s investigators say the truth was much simpler: those grandparents were born in the same countries as the players themselves — Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands — not in Penang or Malacca, as FAM had claimed.
The seven players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Facundo Tomas Garces from Spain, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca from Argentina, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo from Brazil, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano from Holland. All had featured in Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam back in June during a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier.
FIFA fined FAM over $438,000 and hit the players with one-year suspensions, plus individual fines of 2,000 Swiss francs each. According to the disciplinary committee, “presenting fraudulent documentation with the purpose of gaining eligibility to play for a national team constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating.”
What did the Football Association of Malaysia say?
FAM, however, says it’s not cheating — just a mix-up. In a statement, the association said an employee mistakenly submitted documents from an agent instead of using official records from the Malaysian National Registration Department. “The players involved are legitimate Malaysian citizens,” FAM insisted, denying that the players knowingly used fake documents.
They also pushed back hard against FIFA’s accusations, calling the claim that the players “acquired or were aware of [the] fake documents” baseless, and say that no solid evidence had been presented. A formal appeal is now being prepared using what FAM describes as "valid, certified documents."
Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, isn’t taking it lightly. She said the scandal has “tarnished the country’s image” and urged FAM to respond properly. “Fans are angry, hurt and disappointed,” she said.
This isn’t just a headache for Malaysian football officials — it could get worse. The Asian Football Confederation is now involved and might issue its own penalties once FAM's appeal is resolved.
Despite the storm, Malaysia is still set to play Laos in upcoming Asian Cup qualifiers on October 9 and 14. But with the seven banned players out, the squad will look very different.
