THE Malaysian Football League has confirmed that three heritage players from Johor Darul Ta’zim are barred from featuring in the Malaysia League throughout their suspension period.
Striker Joao Figueiredo, defender Jon Irazabal and midfielder Hector Hevel cannot participate in M-League matches following FIFA sanctions.
The MFL received official notification from the Football Association of Malaysia regarding FIFA’s decision to suspend seven heritage players for twelve months.
Further action will only be taken by the MFL once FAM’s appeal decision is announced by FIFA.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee penalised FAM and the seven players for violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code concerning document falsification.
FAM was found to have submitted falsified documents to verify the players’ eligibility for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Vietnam.
The four other sanctioned players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca.
FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs, approximately 1.8 million ringgit, for the violation.
Each player received a 2,000 Swiss franc fine, about 10,560 ringgit, and a twelve-month suspension from all football activities.
The suspensions are effective from the date of notification of FIFA’s decision.
FAM secretary-general Datuk Noor Azman Rahman admitted a technical error occurred during document submission by administrative staff.
Noor Azman stated that FAM takes the matter seriously and emphasised that the players involved are legitimate Malaysian citizens.
FAM is awaiting FIFA’s full judgment before filing an appeal through existing legal processes. – Bernama
