KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) will file an appeal against FIFA’s ruling on sanctions imposed over the heritage player case.
FAM acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi confirmed the association received FIFA’s official ruling and will utilise all legal channels.
“We will file an appeal against this decision and will utilise all available legal channels and procedures to safeguard the interests of the players and the Malaysian national team,“ he said in a statement.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee imposed sanctions on FAM and seven heritage players for breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code relating to falsification of documents.
The sanctioned players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
FIFA stated that FAM submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility for the Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.
Following that match, FIFA received an official complaint concerning the eligibility status of several players.
FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (about 1.8 million ringgit), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (about 10,560 ringgit).
All seven players received a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities effective from the date of notification. – Bernama
