(Reuters) -Deportivo Alaves’s Facundo Garces was among seven players banned for a year by FIFA on Friday after the soccer governing body found that doctored documentation had been used so that they could play in an Asian Cup qualifier for Malaysia against Vietnam.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee said the seven players – Garces, Gabriel Arrocha (Unionistas de Salamanca), Rodrigo Holgado (America de Cali), Imanol Machuca (Velez Sarsfield), Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel (all Johor Darul Ta’zim) – were sanctioned with a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.
FIFA said the Football Association of Malaysia had submitted eligibility enquiries to global soccer’s governing body and used doctored documentation to be able to field the seven players, breaching article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code that is concerned with forgery and falsification.
The FAM said on Saturday it would appeal the ban, saying FIFA had previously reviewed the players’ qualifications and provided official confirmation that they were eligible to play for Malaysia.
“In relation to this decision, FAM will appeal the decision and will use all available legal channels and procedures to ensure that the interests of the players and the Malaysian national team are always protected,” it said in a statement.
All seven players had played in Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, after which FIFA received a complaint regarding the eligibility of several players.
Figueiredo and Holgado had both scored in Malaysia’s victory. Garces has played in every game this season for Alaves, who sit 10th in LaLiga.
FIFA also ordered the FAM to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs ($438,651) while the players have been fined 2,000 Swiss francs each.
“Further, the matter of the players’ eligibility to play for the representative team of Malaysia has been referred by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to the FIFA Football Tribunal for consideration,” FIFA added.
The decision can be appealed before the FIFA Appeals Committee.
($1 = 0.7979 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru and Rozanna Latiff in Kuala Lumpur;Editing by Toby Davis and Kim Coghill)
