FIFA Awards Malaysia Three 3-0 Defeats Over Ineligible Players, FAM To Appeal
FIFA has handed Malaysia a major blow, awarding the nation three 3-0 defeats after it was found to have fielded ineligible players, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) confirmed on Wednesday. Matches previously recorded as friendly wins against Palestine and Singapore, along with a home draw with Cape Verde earlier this year, have all been overturned. The sanctions follow FIFA’s suspension of seven foreign-born Malaysian national team players who submitted falsified documents claiming Malaysian ancestry. FAM, which had already been fined $440,000 in the ongoing scandal, has now been hit with an additional $12,500 penalty. A FIFA disciplinary committee meeting held last Friday declared, “Malaysia is declared to have lost 3-0 in all three matches,” the association said. The investigation began after FIFA received a complaint following Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in June during an Asian Cup qualifier, where two of the implicated players scored. FIFA’s probe found that Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, and Joao Brandao Figueiredo did not have a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia, as required for national team eligibility. FAM, however, insists it acted appropriately and confirmed it will appeal the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
