FIFA’s report reveals seven national heritage players admitted their Malaysian ancestry claims were based on family hearsay, not verified documents.
THE seven national heritage footballers admitted their Malaysian ancestry claims were based solely on family hearsay rather than verified records, according to FIFA’s detailed ruling.
FIFA’s 63-page motivated decision revealed the players never read, checked or verified any documents they submitted for naturalisation.
The players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
They argued any document manipulation occurred after submission to the Football Association of Malaysia without their knowledge or involvement.
Evidence showed birth certificates of their grandparents listed no Malaysian birthplace locations.
During October 30 hearings, all players cited agents as facilitating their national team opportunities while FAM managed the entire naturalisation process.
They confirmed necessary documentation was procured by family members and presented to agents without verification.
Players admitted signing application documents and appearing before Malaysian authorities without reading them or understanding content in Bahasa Malaysia.
The FIFA Appeal Committee stated that had all current materials been available initially, sanctions would have been significantly higher.
It deemed players showed gross negligence by signing documents without reading and failing to verify ancestry records multiple times.
The committee criticised players for continuing to assert Malaysian grandparents despite overwhelming contrary evidence.
It also found FAM secretary-general’s suspension lacked clarity, enforcement and credibility.
On November 3, FIFA rejected appeals by FAM and the seven naturalised players, upholding original penalties.
FAM was fined CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million) while each player received CHF2,000 (about RM11,000) fines and 12-month suspensions from football activities.
