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The Malaysian Football Association (Malaysia's football governing body) has declared it will contest FIFA's ruling to penalize the body for supposedly falsifying the citizenship documents of seven overseas-born players, who have now been suspended from playing for the national team for one year.

FIFA's Allegations and Penalties

In the ninth month, FIFA levied a penalty of over four hundred thousand dollars on FAM and suspended the players after finding that their ancestors were not Malaysian by birth as stated, but instead in the South American nation, Brazil, the European country and Spain. The international football authority restated its assertions about falsified papers in a official investigation report released on Monday.

Each of the players – who all participated in Malaysia's four-nil victory over the Vietnamese team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifier this June – was also penalized twenty-five hundred dollars.

The accused group includes born in Spain Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces and 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

"Forgery constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating," said FIFA in its report.

"Forging documents undermines the heart of the fundamental principles of the sport, not only those governing a player’s eligibility to play for a national team, but also the essential values of a fair game and the concept of sportsmanship," added a senior official, vice-chair of FIFA's disciplinary committee.

The Association's Reply and Challenge Strategy

FIFA's report claims that FAM conceded it "was contacted by external agencies regarding the players’ heritage and failed to personally confirm the authenticity of the papers."

"The original birth certificates showed a sharp contrast to the submitted papers," it noted.

FIFA also said it was "able to obtain the authentic papers without hindrance," which revealed a "failure in due diligence" by the Malaysian body.

FAM responded to the global body's allegations in a official communication on the following day, maintaining the discrepancies were the result of an "procedural mistake" and the individuals are "legitimate Malaysian citizens."

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

The association will submit an official appeal of the international body's ruling, using original documents that have been certified by the Malaysian government.

Southeast Asian Background and Official Reactions

Southeast Asian nations have recently engaged in recruitment drives for naturalised players, inspired by the Indonesian approach of bringing in born in the Netherlands players from the overseas community.

The country's sports minister, the official, said in a statement that "FAM must complete the appeal process and that they cannot remain silent but have to answer plainly to every disclosure made by FIFA."

"Fans are upset, hurt and disappointed," she remarked.

Present Situation and Upcoming Games

Despite uncertainty surrounding the squad's lineup, the team is now placed 123rd in the Asian Football Confederation standings and is scheduled to play in qualifying matches for the Asian Cup this month, facing Laos on Thursday.