Seven foreign-born players banned by FIFA over eligibility violations in Malaysia are now being publicly defended as "victims” by the global players’ union FIFPro, which called their 12-month suspensions "grossly disproportionate.”
The case, which has shaken Malaysian football, pits the players and their union against FIFA sanctions and a $440,000 fine levied on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), now under appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The controversy erupted after Malaysia’s 4-0 victory over Vietnam in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier in June 2025, during which two of the banned players – Rodrigo Holgado and Imanol Machuca – scored.
Following the match, a complaint to FIFA prompted an investigation into documentation submitted by FAM to fast-track naturalization of foreign-born athletes claiming Malaysian ancestry.
FIFA’s probe revealed that none of the seven players – Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, and Joao Brandao Figueiredo – had parents or grandparents born in Malaysia, a requirement under FIFA Statutes for national team eligibility.
Players at the center
FIFA’s September 2025 decision detailed falsified documents, including altered birth certificates with Malaysian place names, misspellings like "Luching” for Kuching, and false declarations of residency.
Ages 23 to 28, these players had become pivotal to Malaysia’s campaigns, with Holgado and Machuca’s goals exemplifying their on-field impact. Now banned, many have returned to home-country clubs, facing potential contract disruptions and reputational damage.
FIFA’s punitive measures
FIFA imposed 12-month bans from all football-related activity on each player, along with modest fines of roughly $2,300 each.
FAM faced a $440,000 penalty for submitting false documents.
Appeals by both FAM and the players were rejected, and FIFA has since launched a deeper probe into federation processes, raising the prospect of criminal scrutiny.
FAM’s defense and wider implications
FAM insists no deliberate wrongdoing occurred, attributing the scandal to administrative oversights by third-party agents.
The federation’s CAS appeal, filed in December 2025, seeks reversal of sanctions, with hearings potentially in early 2026.
Critics argue the scandal exposes systemic governance weaknesses in FAM, whose ambitions to strengthen the national team via naturalization have already faced scrutiny.
If the bans hold, Malaysia’s World Cup and regional qualifying campaigns could face severe disruption.
FIFPro steps in
FIFPro’s intervention underscores the human toll.
"The sanctions imposed on them are grossly disproportionate given the particular circumstances of the case,” the union said. "It is clear that the players are, in fact, victims in this matter. All steps were handled by institutions outside their control, yet they now face suspension from their clubs and the serious consequences that follow through no fault of their own.”
FIFPro also called for clearer regulations and protections for migrant players navigating complex naturalization systems, emphasizing the need for transparency to prevent future scandals in Asia’s increasingly globalized football landscape.