<figure id="attachment_3168891" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3168891" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3168891 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/e597b158-harimau-malaya-squad-bernama-emel-pic-270925.webp" alt="harimau malaya" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3168891" class="wp-caption-text">The seven footballers featured in Malaysia’s 4-0 win against Vietnam in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier in June. (Bernama pic)</figcaption></figure>
KUALA LUMPUR: Global footballers&#8217; union FIFPro says that seven players embroiled in a Malaysian national team eligibility scandal are themselves victims, labelling their 12-month bans as &#8220;grossly disproportionate&#8221;.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Fifa banned the players and fined FAM US$440,000 in September for submitting false documents that said the foreign-born players had Malaysian ancestry.
Fifa launched an investigation after receiving a complaint following Malaysia&#8217;s 4-0 win against Vietnam in June in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifier in which two of the seven players scored.
Its investigation showed that none of the players – Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca or Joao Brandao Figueiredo – had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia, a requirement for selection to a national team.
FIFPro on Monday gave its full support to the seven and said they were not to blame.
&#8220;The sanctions imposed on them, a 12-month ban from all football-related activities, are grossly disproportionate given the particular circumstances of the case,&#8221; it said in a statement.
&#8220;It is clear that the players are, in fact, victims in this matter.&#8221;
It added: &#8220;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.&#8221;
FAM has denied any deliberate wrongdoing.

MatchPoint Times

7 footballers in Malaysia eligibility scandal ‘victims’, says union

FIFPro says the 12-month bans imposed by Fifa are excessive and that the players were not responsible for the documentation submitted.

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