FIFA cited a forged or doctor’s document to approve Malaysian football for violations of AFC qualifying.
Released on October 7, 2025
The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has said it will sue FIFA sanctions after being criticised by the football governing body.
FAM disputed the FIFA findings, saying in a statement posted on Facebook that “the claim that a player has acquired, has acquired a fake document or has been aware of a fake document is unfounded.” “FAM wants to assert that the heritage players involved are legal Malaysian citizens.”
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In September, FIFA suspended seven foreign-born players who were featured in Malaysia for 12 months in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifier in Vietnam in June, with counterfeiters fined $438,000 and cited counterfeit or doctor documents.
In a full report released Monday, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee said “the original birth certificate shows a sharp contrast to the documents provided,” claiming that the player has grandparents born in Malaysia and has qualified to represent the country under the FIFA regulations.
The committee reported that the original certificate showed that the above family members were actually born in the same country as the players: Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain.
“Providing fraudulent documents with the aim of acquiring eligibility to play for a national team constitutes a form of pure and simple fraud. “Such actions erode trust in competitive fairness and put the essence of football at risk as an activity based on integrity and transparency.”
In its defense, FAM said there was administrative error in submitting the documents and was preparing to appeal the ruling using the original documents recognized by the Malaysian government.
“FAM will present an official appeal regarding this conclusion and continue to commit to defending the integrity of national football based on facts and authentic documents.”
According to a FIFA report, FAM admitted that “we received contact from an outside agency regarding the player’s legacy, but failed to independently verify the reliability of the document.” FIFA added that “emphasising the lack of proper diligence” by FAM “additionally, the original document associated with it can be obtained without obstacles.”
The Asian Football Federation, which runs the Asian Cup, will introduce the final outcome of the incident to its own disciplinary committee.
The revelation sparked rage in Malaysia.
“FAM has issued a statement saying it is a technical error, but it’s a mistake by staff. The 19-page statement includes very serious statements by FIFA, so all of that needs improvement. said Hannah Yeau, Malaysian Minister of Sports. “Fans are angry, hurt and disappointed.”
