By K. Rajan
KUALA LUMPUR: FIFA have released the full reasoning behind the disciplinary action taken against the FA of Malaysia (FAM) and seven Harimau Malaya heritage players, confirming that inconsistencies were found in the original documents submitted during the players' registration process.
In its official report titled "Notification of the Grounds of the Decision" dated Oct 6, 2025, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee said the sanctions were imposed for violations under Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, involving the falsification and alteration of official documents.
The investigation revealed that several supporting documents submitted by FAM, including birth certificates of the players' grandparents, contained details that did not match the original records in the players' actual countries of birth.
Checks found that the individuals listed as the grandparents of the seven players were not born in Malaysia, contradicting what was stated in the documents provided to FIFA.
According to Appendix 13 of the report, FIFA outlined the verified birthplaces of the players' family members. The grandmother of Gabriel Arrocha was born in Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain, while Facundo Garces's grandfather was from Santa Fe de la Cruz, Argentina.
Rodrigo Holgado's grandfather was born in Buenos Aires, and Imanol Machuca's grandmother in Roldan. Joao Figueiredo's grandfather originated from Abre Campo, Brazil.
Meanwhile, the grandfather of Jon Irazabal was traced to the region of Viscaya, Spain, and Hector Hevel Serrano's grandfather was born in The Hague, Netherlands.
FIFA said the authenticity of these records had been confirmed through cross-checks with official civil registries in the respective countries, and there was no verified evidence linking the players' ancestry to Malaysia.
The report also stated that the National Registration Department (NRD) had issued copies of the documents based on secondary information submitted to them, rather than from original birth records.
Although FAM and the players maintained that all documents were obtained through legal channels, FIFA emphasised the principle of strict liability — meaning that even in the absence of intent to deceive, failure to verify the authenticity of documents still amounts to a disciplinary offence.
The seven players were found to have represented Malaysia in official international matches, including the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10, where two of them scored.
Following the findings, FIFA fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs and handed a 12-month suspension from all international football activities.
FAM have been given 30 days to pay the fine and three days to submit a notice of appeal to FIFA's Appeals Committee.