KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed it is awaiting the final decision of the Football Tribunal under the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) on sanctions handed to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven heritage players.
This development was shared by AFC general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John in a brief response to Bernama today.
“We are waiting for the final decision from the Football Tribunal (of FIFA),” he said.
In a statement yesterday, FIFA said its disciplinary committee has imposed sanctions on FAM and seven heritage players for breaching Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) relating to falsification of documents.
The players sanctioned are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.
FIFA said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, which allowed them to feature in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.
Following that match, FIFA received an official complaint concerning the eligibility status of several players.
As a result, FAM was fined CHF350,000 (about RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM10,560) and suspended from all football-related activities for 12 months, effective from the date of notification of the decision.
FAM, in a statement, has confirmed it will file an appeal against FIFA’s ruling on the aforementioned sanctions in a bid to safeguard the interests of the players and the Malaysian national team.
FAM acting president Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi confirmed that the association has received FIFA’s official ruling on the matter, adding that all documentation and procedures had been submitted transparently in line with the prescribed guidelines. – Bernama
