SEPT 30 — KL City FC patron Datuk Fahmi Fadzil was reported to have said that action against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) regarding the status of seven national heritage players was unwarranted as their naturalisation process was carried out according to the law.

He expressed doubts over the action taken by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), claiming that the international governing body of football seemed to have changed its stance on the matter, as it had previously approved for the seven players concerned to represent Malaysia.

“Perhaps there are some parties who are envious and worried about the rise of Harimau Malaya,” he said at a press conference here on Sunday (Sept 28). 

But it was FIFA Disciplinary Committee that imposed sanctions on FAM and seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

The Disciplinary Committee is one of FIFA’s judicial bodies which are independent committees. The committees as well as their individual members must conduct their activities and perform their duties entirely independently but always in the interests of FIFA and in accordance with the Statutes and regulations of FIFA.

The sanctions imposed are for breaches of Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) concerning forgery and falsification. It reads as follows:

22. FORGERY AND FALSIFICATION

1.    Anyone who, in football-related activities, forges a document, falsifies an authentic document or uses a forged or falsified document will be sanctioned with a fine and a ban of at least six matches or for a specific period of no less than 12 months.

2.    An association or a club may be held liable for an act of forgery or falsification by one of its officials and/or players.

According to the Disciplinary Committee, FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to FIFA. In doing so, it used doctored documentation to be able to field the seven players.

All seven players played for Malaysia against Vietnam in the third round of qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on 10 June 2025, after which FIFA received a complaint regarding the eligibility of Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

Following regular proceedings, the Disciplinary Committee imposed the sanctions after evaluating all evidence before it. It has also referred the matter of the players’ eligibility to play for Malaysia to the FIFA Football Tribunal for consideration.

FAM and the seven players have been notified of the terms of the Disciplinary Committee’s decision. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Disciplinary Committee, they have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com.

The decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee- another of FIFA’s judicial bodies.

The official statement on the decisions of the Disciplinary Committee may be read here.

Let’s not overreact.

We need a calm head on strong shoulders because the sanctions concern forgery and falsification.

That’s heavy stuff.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.