Indonesian Press Reacts to FIFA Exposing Malaysia’s Forged Documents

Indonesian media unanimously report that FIFA has uncovered Malaysia’s forgery of documents for 7 naturalized players, causing a regional shock and raising doubts about FAM’s transparency.

Newspaper Bola (Indonesia) on October 7 reported that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) released a series of documents that shook Malaysian football, involving the Malaysian Football Association’s (FAM) falsification of paperwork during the legalization process of 7 naturalized national team players.

According to FIFA, FAM submitted fake birth certificates claiming that the grandparents of these 7 players were born in Penang, Johor, Melaka, and Kuching, to qualify them to play for Malaysia. However, FIFA’s independent verification documents revealed that all the grandparents were actually born outside Malaysian territory.

The seven named players are Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. They all participated in two matches of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, including the 4-0 victory over Vietnam on June 10, where Figueiredo and Holgado scored. Just one day after the match, a complaint regarding the eligibility of these players was submitted to FIFA.

Following the investigation, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee concluded that FAM violated Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) by falsifying documents. The committee decided to fine FAM 350,000 Swiss francs (approximately 7.3 billion VND), banned the 7 players from playing and participating in any football activities for 12 months, and imposed an additional fine of 2,000 francs (around 41 million VND) on each player.

FIFA stated that this decision could lead to the reversal of the Malaysia vs. Vietnam match result, potentially awarding Vietnam a 3-0 win according to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regulations on the use of ineligible players.

Although FAM insists on appealing, Bola reports that the chances of reducing the penalty are very slim. The case has now been forwarded to the FIFA Tribunal for further review.

Under public pressure, the Johor prince Tunku Ismail Idris, regarded as the “architect” of Malaysian football reforms, suggested that FIFA was influenced by the United States, hinting at FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in New York.

Malaysian media even accuse Indonesia of being the party that filed the complaint, causing FAM and the naturalized players to receive heavy sanctions from FIFA.