Banned by FIFA, the Malaysian naturalized player was granted unpaid leave

Holgado was given unpaid leave by the club to allow time to contest the 12-month suspension imposed by FIFA.

Striker Rodrigo Holgado from America de Cali was permitted to take unpaid leave to travel to Kuala Lumpur and personally address the 12-month ban from all football-related activities imposed by FIFA. This sanction stems from allegations of irregularities in his naturalization documents to play for the Malaysian national team.

America de Cali, a team competing in Colombia's league, confirmed in a statement on Friday that Holgado was authorized to directly handle the procedures related to FIFA's disciplinary ruling. The club added that the Argentine-born forward, under contract until December 2026, will collaborate with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to appeal the decision.

Last week, Holgado and six other players—Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palmero, Joao Figueiredo, and Jon Irazabal—were penalized by FIFA’s disciplinary committee for violating Article 22 of the disciplinary code concerning forgery and fraud. All seven players received 12-month suspensions and fines of 2,000 Swiss Francs each, while FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss Francs.

The investigation was launched following complaints about the eligibility of several players who participated in Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.

Holgado and his agent traveled to Malaysia to pursue the appeal, hoping for a swift resolution. FAM also confirmed its intention to appeal FIFA’s ruling to protect the interests of the players and the national team.

According to regulations, FAM and the players have 10 days to request the detailed decision and may also appeal to FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber under current rules. Once FIFA’s decision takes effect, the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) disciplinary committee will review and decide on sanctions against FAM’s violations.