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The Malaysian Football Association (FAM) has declared it will appeal FIFA's ruling to sanction the body for allegedly forging the nationality papers of seven overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for 12 months.

The Global Football Body's Allegations and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a fine of $438,000 on the Malaysian association and suspended the players after finding that their ancestors were not born in Malaysia as stated, but instead in Argentina, the Brazilian nation, the Netherlands and the Iberian nation. The international football authority reiterated its assertions about doctored documentation in a official investigation report published on Monday.

Each of the individuals – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over the Vietnamese team in the qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup this June – was also fined twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused group includes Spanish-born Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Garces and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, born in Argentina Rodrigo Julian Holgado and Machuca, as well as Serrano who was originated in the Holland, and Figueiredo who was hails from the South American country.

FIFA's Position on Document Falsification

"Document falsification constitutes, plain and simple, a form of cheating," stated FIFA in its report.

"Forging documents undermines the very core of the basic tenets of the sport, not only those regulating a athlete's qualification to represent a country's squad, but also the core ethics of a fair game and the concept of fair play," commented a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's ethics panel.

FAM's Reply and Appeal Plan

The international body's document states that FAM admitted it "received inquiries by third parties regarding the players’ heritage and did not attempt to personally confirm the validity of the documentation."

"Initial documentation showed a stark difference to the documentation provided," it noted.

The organization also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "lack of proper diligence" by FAM.

FAM responded to the global body's report in a statement on Tuesday, asserting the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the players are "rightful citizens of Malaysia."

"Allegations that the athletes 'obtained or were aware of fake documents' are unfounded as no concrete proof has been presented to date," the statement said.

The governing body will present an official appeal of FIFA's decision, using original documents that have been verified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Background and Political Reactions

Southeast Asian countries have lately pursued hiring campaigns for foreign-born athletes, inspired by Indonesia's strategy of bringing in Dutch-born footballers from the overseas community.

The country's sports minister, Hannah Yeoh, said in a statement that "the football association needs to finish the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to all revelations from FIFA."

"Supporters are angry, disappointed and let down," she added.

Current Situation and Forthcoming Matches

Despite uncertainty surrounding the national team's lineup, the team is now placed one hundred twenty-third in FIFA's AFC ranking and is set to compete in Asian Cup qualifiers this month, facing Laos on the upcoming Thursday.